i  11  IP    Si!  i!^^^^ 


:E>sa7os' 


Paul's  Joy  in  Christ 


Studies  in  Philippians      x^'^'o^^W?^ 

FEB  15  1918 

y  By 

A.  T.  ROBERTSON,  M.A.,  D.D.,  LL.D. 

Professor  of  New  Testament  Interpretation  in 

Southern  Baptist  Theological  Seminary^ 

Louisville,  Ky. 


"  To  me  to  Live  is  Christ ' 


New    York  Chicago  Toronto 

Fleming      H.      Revell      Company 

London  and  Edinburgh 


Copyright,  19 17,  by 
FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 


New  York:  158  Fifth  Avenue 
Chicago:  17  North  Wabash  Ave. 
Toronto:  25  Richmond  Street,  W. 
London :  2 1  Paternoster  Square 
Edinburgh:      100    Princes    Street 


S-D 


To 
y.  M.  Robertson 

my  brother  who  made  it  possible 
for  me  to  be  a  preacher 


Preface 

THESE  lectures  were  first  prepared  as  ex- 
pository talks  from  the  Greek  text  for  the 
Northfield  Conference  for  Christian  work- 
ers in  August,  191 3.  They  were  dehvered  in  Sage 
Chapel  and  their  publication  was  requested  by  the 
hearers.  The  addresses  have  since  been  repeated  at 
Winona  Lake,  Indiana,  Columbus,  Ohio,  Virginia 
Beach,  Moody  Bible  Institute,  and  to  various  other 
assemblies  and  churches.  The  Greek  text  is  kept  in 
foot-notes  so  that  the  average  man  can  read  the  book 
with  comfort  without  a  knowledge  of  Greek.  The 
volume  is  essentially  popular  in  style  and  purpose, 
while  the  latest  researches  of  modern  scholarship  are 
utilized  for  the  illustration  of  this  noble  Epistle.  No- 
where is  the  tender  side  of  Paul's  nature  better  shown 
than  here,  his  delicacy,  his  courtesy,  his  elevation  of 
feeling,  his  independence,  his  mysticism,  his  spiritual 
passion.  My  book  is  not  so  much  a  technical  com- 
mentary, though  it  covers  all  the  Epistle,  as  an  in- 
terpretation adapted  to  modern  needs  on  the  part 
of  all  teachers,  preachers  and  students  of  the  New 
Testament.  Nowhere  does  Paul  have  more  "  charm," 
to  use  Ramsay's  phrase,  than  in  Philippians.  No- 
where is  he  more  vital  and  more  powerful.     Paul  was 

7 


8  PREFACE 

not  merely  a  man  of  supreme  genius  and  high  cul- 
ture, but  one  who  let  himself  go  completely  in 
spiritual  abandonment  to  the  love  and  life  of  Jesus. 
It  is  small  wonder  that  the  hypercritical  spirit  seeks 
to  discount  him  as  a  paranoiac  or  a  Pharisaic  bungler 
who  distorted  the  message  of  Jesus.  Such  modern 
critics  fail  to  understand  Paul  because  of  failure  to 
know  Jesus  as  Paul  knew  Him  by  rich  experience 
of  heart  and  soul.  I  confess  to  a  feeling  of  reverent 
hesitation  as  I  venture  to  enter  afresh  this  Holy  of 
Holies  of  Paul's  Life  in  Christ.  Here  we  see  in 
clear  outline,  not  only  Paul's  Joy  in  Life,  but  his  Joy 
in  Death,  a  message  sorely  needed  by  many  stricken 
hearts  during  these  dreadful  days  of  war.  Paul  was 
able  to  see  the  Face  of  Christ  in  Death  since  Death 
brought  Christ  in  all  His  fullness.' 

A,  T.  R. 

Louisville,  Ky. 


^  Once  more,  as  I  read  the  proof  of  this  page,  I  am  called 
upon  to  find  Christ  in  Death,  in  the  going  of  my  young 
daughter,  Charlotte,  who  loved  Jesus  utterly. 


Contents 

I.  The  Brief  Salutation         .        .        .11 

{Philippians  i :  1-2.) 

II.  Joy  in  Prayer 56 

III.  Good  Out  of  III         ....      73 

(/  .•  12-20.) 

IV.  Joy  in  Death  as  Well  as  in  Life       .      92 

(/  .•  21-J0.) 

V.  Paul's  Full  Cup  .        .        .        .110 

{2 :  /-//.) 

VI.  Realizing  God's  Plan  in  Life    .        .     141 

{2  :  12-18.) 

VII.  Fellowship 158 

{2:19-30) 

VI II.  The  Holy  Quest         .        .        .        .174 

IX.  Following  the  Road  .        •        .    204 

{3:iS-2i) 

X.  The  Garrison  of  Peace      .        •        .     225 

{4:1-9) 

XI.  The  Secret  of  Happiness  •        •        .    245 

{4.:  10-2 J.) 


THE  BRIEF  SALUTATION 
(Philippians  i  :  1-2.) 

THE  formula  for  greeting  in  Paul's  Epistles 
is  now  very  familiar  to  all  students  of  the 
Greek  papyri.  Here  the  technical  word  for 
greeting,*  so  common  in  the  papyri  and  seen  in  James 
I  :  I,  is  absent.  But  it  is  implied,  of  course,  and  is 
simply  taken  for  granted  by  Paul.  The  full  formula 
is  to  "  say  greeting,"  ^  like  our  vernacular  "  say 
howdy,"  as  we  find  it  in  2  John  10,  "  give  him  no 
greeting,"^  and  11,  "that  giveth  him  greeting."* 
This  most  familiar  of  all  Paul's  Epistles  (or  Letters, 
as  Deissmann '  insists  on  calling  them  all)  is  very 
simple  and  direct  in  the  salutation.  The  outstanding 
facts  of  the  situation  come  promptly  before  us. 

I.     Paul  the  Author. 

No  one  of  Paul's  Epistles  stands  upon  firmer 
ground  than  this  one,  in  spite  of  Baur's  vigorous 
attacks  upon  its  genuineness.  His  arguments  have 
been  completely  answered  and  McGiffert  ^  sums  the 

^  ^aipeiv.        ^  Xiyecv  )raip£iv.        ^ )facpetv  auT^  fxij  Xiyere. 
*  6  Xiywv  avTW  ^aipztv. 
^"  Light  From  the  Ancient  East,"  p.  225. 
^  "  The  Apostolic  Age,"  p.  393. 
II 


12  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

matter  up  by  saying :  "  It  is  simply  inconceivable 
that  any  one  else  would  or  could  have  produced  in 
his  name  a  letter  in  which  no  doctrinal  or  ecclesias- 
tical motive  can  be  discovered,  and  in  which  the 
personal  element  so  largely  predominates  and  the 
character  of  the  man  and  of  the  apostle  is  revealed 
with  so  great  vividness  and  fidelity,"  Von  Soden  * 
denies  the  genuineness  of  Ephesians  and  the  Pastoral 
Epistles,  but  he  stoutly  defends  Philippians  :  "  VVe 
are  treading  upon  very  sacred  ground  as  we  read  this 
epistle.  It  is  without  doubt  the  last  from  St.  Paul's 
hand."  The  ground  is  holy  beyond  a  doubt,  but  not 
because  this  is  the  last  of  Paul's  Epistles,  Moffatt^ 
waves  aside  Baur's  criticisms  as  to  alleged  imitation, 
anachronisms,  gnostic  controversies,  and  doctrinal 
discrepancies  and  argues  also  for  the  unity  and  in- 
tegrity of  the  Epistle  in  spite  of  Polycarp's  use  of  the 
plural  ^  in  referring  to  Paul's  Epistle  which,  like  the 
Latin  litterce,  can  be  used  of  a  single  epistle.  The 
somewhat  broken  and  disconnected  style  of  Philip- 
pians is  due  rather  to  the  incidental  character  of  the 
letter  and  its  personal  nature.  It  is  in  no  sense  a 
formal  treatise  and  has  no  announced  theme  as  in 
Romans  i  :  17,  Critics  who  carp  at  the  lack  of  order 
in  Philippians  "  forget  that  Paul  was  a  man,  and  an 
apostle,  before  he  was  a  theologian ;  and  are  actually 

*  "  Early  Christian  Literature,"  p,  107. 
^  "  Introduction  to  the  Literature  of  the  New  Testament," 
pp.   170-176.  ^  iruazoXai. 


THE  BRIEF  SALUTATION  I3 

surprised  at  his  not  giving  to  this  familiar  letter  the 
methodical  order  of  a  treatise."  '  This  "  Epistle  is 
like  a  window  into  the  Apostle's  own  bosom."  ^ 
Let  us  gratefully  and  reverently  look  in  to  see  what 
Paul  has  revealed  of  Christ  in  himself.  We  do  not 
know  that  he  used  an  amanuensis  for  this  Epistle, 
though  that  was  his  usual  custom  (as  in  Rom.  16  :  22). 
He  may  have  written  it  all  as  he  did  the  little  letter 
to  Philemon  (verse  19,  "  I  Paul  write  it  with  mine 
own  hand  ").  Timothy  and  Epaphroditus  were  with 
Paul  when  he  wrote  to  the  Philippians  and  either  of 
them  (in  lieu  of  another  scribe)  could  have  performed 
the  function  for  Paul.  And  yet  it  is  quite  possible 
that  he  penned  this  love  letter  with  his  own  hand. 
At  any  rate  he  put  his  heart  into  it  and  some  of  the 
noblest  passages  that  were  ever  penned  by  mortal 
man  are  here.  Paul  was  a  versatile  man  and  his 
style  adapted  itself  to  the  subject  matter  and  the 
mood  of  the  moment,  as  is  the  case  with  all  men  of 
real  eloquence  and  power  of  speech. 

2.    Paul  in  Rome. 

He  does  not  say  so,  nor  does  he  necessarily  imply 
it,  though  that  is  the  most  natural  inference  from  the 
incidental  allusions  in  the  Epistle.  There  are  some 
scholars  who  hold  that  Paul  was  in  prison  at  Ephesus 
when  he  wrote  the  Epistle  to  the  Philippians.     The 

'  Sabatier,  "  The  Apostle  Paul,"  p.  252. 
"Shaw,  "The  Pauline  Epistles,"  p.  419. 


14  PAUL'S  JOY  IN  CHRIST 

Ephesian  imprisonment  is  largely  hypothetical  and 
the  theory  due  to  a  possible  interpretation  of  i  Cor- 
inthians 15  :  32  ("I  fought  with  beasts  at  Ephe- 
sus  ")  and  2  Corinthians  i  :  8-9  ("  concerning  our 
affliction  which  befell  us  in  Asia "  and  "  the  sen- 
tence* of  death  within  ourselves  ").  The  idea  here 
is,  according  to  this  theory,  that  Paul  languished  in 
prison  in  Ephesus  and  came  near  to  death.  It  is 
possible  to  take  "  praetorian  guard  "  (Phil.  1:13)  for 
a  band  of  soldiers  in  Ephesus  and  by  a  stretch 
"  Caesar's  household  "  (Phil,  4  :  22)  of  messengers  in 
Ephesus,  but  the  situation  and  outlook  of  the  Epistle 
do  not  belong  to  any  known  period  in  Ephesus. 
Caesarea  can  be  made  a  much  more  plausible  location 
for  Paul  when  he  wrote  the  letter.  The  arguments 
of  Paulus  (1799)  and  Boettger  (1837)  for  Caesarea 
have  been  adopted  and  enlarged  by  O.  Holtzmann.^ 
But  at  most  only  a  possible  case  is  made  out.  The 
use  of  praetorium^  for  an  imperial  residence  outside 
of  Rome  is  undoubted  (Kennedy,  Phil,  in  "  Exp. 
Greek  Testament,"  Vol.  Ill,  p,  404)  and  it  occurs  for 
Herod's  palace  also  (Acts  23  :  35)  in  Caesarea.  We 
know  that  the  Augustan  band  (Acts  27:  i)^  was  at 
Caesarea.  But  even  if  Csesar's  household^  is  equiva- 
lent to  these  soldiers  or  the  praetorian  guard,  it  is 
still  far  more  likely  that  the  real  household  of  Caesar 

'  TO  d.T:6/(pi[ia  too  davdrou,  the  answer  of  death. 
*Theol.  Lit.,  1890,00].  177.  ^  rpacTwntov. 

*  ffT:eijiri<i  ^^,3a(Tr7^<s.  ^  olaia  Kaiaapo^. 


THE   BRIEF  SALUTATION  15 

in  Rome  is  meant.  We  know  that  later  there  were 
Christians  in  the  imperial  drcles  and  it  is  by  no 
means  unlikely  that  Paul  was  able  to  reach  some  of 
the  slaves  in  the  home  of  Nero  by  the  help  of  the 
soldier  to  whom  he  was  chained.  It  is  true  that  the 
jealousy  of  the  Judaizing  Christians  pictured  in  Phi- 
hppians  i  :  15-17  does  seem  to  suit  Cassarea  better 
than  Rome,  because  of  its  proximity  to  Jerusalem, 
but  it  is  to  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  Judaizers  do 
not  appear  against  Paul  in  Csesarea,  and  the  onset 
against  Paul  in  Jerusalem  in  Acts  21  was  due  to  Jews 
from  Ephesus  and  not  to  the  Judaizers.  It  is  not  at 
all  unlikely  that  the  Judaizers  would  reappear  in  Rome 
after  their  defeat  in  Jerusalem,  Antioch,  Galatia,  and 
Corinth.  It  is  very  difficult,  besides,  to  think  of 
Paul  as  expecting  a  speedy  release  in  Csesarea,  either 
at  the  hands  of  Felix  or  Festus,  according  to  the  nar- 
rative in  Acts  24-26.  There  was  delay  also  in  Rome 
since  Luke  in  closing  his  story  in  Acts  (28  :  30)  states 
that  Paul  had  already  spent  two  whole  years '  in  his 
own  hired  house.  Nero,  Hke  Tiberius,  was  noted  for 
his  dilatory  habits  and  no  accusers  may  have  come 
against  Paul. 

When  Paul  wrote  to  the  Philippians  time  enough 
had  elapsed  since  his  arrival  in  Rome  for  the  Philip- 
pian  church  to  hear  of  his  arrival  and  condition  and 
to  send  Epaphroditus  with  messages  and  gifts,  for 
Epaphroditus  to  fall  ill,  for  the  Phihppians  to  hear  of 

*  dceriav  vXtjv. 


l6  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

it,  and  for  Epaphroditus  to  be  distressed  over  theii 
sorrow,  and  to  recover  his  health  (Phil.  2  :  25-30). 
We  do  not  know,  of  course,  how  long  this  was  nor 
precisely  how  long  Paul  was  in  prison  in  Rome  before 
his  release,  assuming,  as  I  do,  that  he  did  not  fall  a 
victim  to  the  hate  of  Nero  in  connection  with  the 
burning  of  Rome  in  a.  d.  64.  We  may  say  then 
that  Paul  had  left  Rome  before  the  early  summer  of 
A.  D.  64.  He  may  have  reached  Rome  in  the  spring 
of  A.  D.  59  or  60.  Colossians,  Ephesians,  and  Phi- 
lemon were  sent  together  by  Onesimus  and  Tych- 
icus  (Philemon  10,  13;  Col.  4:7-9;  Eph.  6:2if.). 
They  were  also  written  from  Rome,  I  hold,  and  not 
from  Ca^sarea  or  Ephesus.  It  is  not  clear  whether 
Philippians  was  despatched  before  or  after  this  group 
to  Asia.  The  common  opinion  is  that  Philippians 
was  sent  afterwards  and  just  before  Paul's  release, 
because  he  expects  to  be  set  free  when  he  wrote  to 
Philippi  (I  :  25-26).  But  he  is  just  as  confident  of 
getting  free  when  he  writes  to  Philemon  and  asks  for 
a  lodging  to  be  made  ready  for  him  (22).  The  ap- 
parent absence  of  Luke  and  Aristarchus  (Phil.  2  :  20) 
is  a  puzzle,  but  we  have  no  right  to  say  that  they 
remained  with  Paul  constantly  in  Rome.  The  pres- 
ence of  Timothy  surely  calls  for  no  explanation. 
The  doctrinal  aspect  of  the  Epistle  comes  in  well 
between  the  Judaizing  controversy  in  the  great  doc- 
trinal Epistles  (i  and  2  Corinthians,  Galatians,  Ro- 
mans) and  the  Christological  controversy  raised  by 


THE  BRIEF  SALUTATION  17 

incipient  Gnosticism  in  the  Lycus  Valley  and  other 
parts  of  Asia  (Colossians,  Ephesians).  Thus  we 
have  an  echo  of  the  Judaizing  trouble  in  Phihppians 
I  :  15-17  and  3:  1-2,  while  in  Philippians  2:5-11 
Paul  has  his  greatest  passage  concerning  the  Person 
of  Christ.  There  was  probably  no  great  space  of 
time  between  Philippians  and  the  other  three  (Phi- 
lemon, Colossians,  Ephesians)  Epistles  of  the  First 
Roman  Imprisonment.  Till  we  can  get  further  light 
on  this  point  I  follow  Lightfoot  in  placing  Philip- 
pians before  the  others,  though  not  long  before. 
Lightfoot's  essay  on  "  St.  Paul  in  Rome  "  (pp.  1-29 
of  his  commentary  on  Philippians)  is  still  the  master- 
piece on  this  topic.  We  can  fill  in  some  of  the  de- 
tails in  the  picture  of  Paul's  life  in  Rome,  whither  he 
had  come  at  last.  He  had  long  planned  to  come  to 
the  Im.perial  City  (Acts  19 :  21  ;  Rom.  i  :  13  ;  15  :  22, 
32).  In  spite  of  all  the  hindrances  of  Satan  and  the 
Jews  Paul  was  to  go  to  Rome  (Acts  23:11)  for  he 
was  to  stand  before  Caesar  (27  :  24)  to  whom  he  had 
appealed.  He  had  not  expected  to  come  to  Rome 
as  a  prisoner,  but  he  is  not  in  despair  because  of  that 
fact.  #Things  might  be  worse.  He  has  his  own 
hired  house  (Acts  28  :  30),  even  if  he  is  chained  to  a 
Roman  soldier  (28  :  20  "  this  chain  ").  He  was  al- 
lowed liberty  to  receive  his  friends  by  the  Prsetorian 
Prefect  Burrhus,  if  so  be  Paul  fell  to  his  care.  Ram- 
say indeed  thinks  that  Paul  was  the  rather  under  the 
care    of  the   Princeps  Pcrigrinoruin   {stratopedarchf 


l8  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

according  to  some  manuscripts  for  Acts  27 :  16), 
who  was  the  head  of  the  soldiers  from  abroad  with 
some  of  whom  Paul  had  been  sent  to  Rome.  He 
was  a  prisoner  with  dignity  and  some  degree  of 
hberty.  He  paid  for  his  own  lodging  (in  his  own 
hired  dwelling ')  and  so  did  not  have  to  stay  in  the 
soldiers'  camp.  He  "  received  all  that  went  in  unto 
him  "2  (imperfect  tense  and  here  shows  his  habit). 
His  friends  had  free  access^  (without  hindrance)  to 
him  and  he  preached  to  them  the  kingdom  of  God 
and  the  things  concerning  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ* 
with  all  boldness.®  His  life  was  therefore  a  busy 
one  and  he  met  Christians,  Jews,  and  Gentiles,  men 
of  all  classes.  To  all  of  them  he  presented  Jesus  as 
the  Saviour  from  sin  and  the  Lord  of  Ufe.  Lightfoot 
emphasizes  the  sharp  antithesis  "  between  the  Gospel 
and  the  Empire"  when  Paul  comes  to  Rome.  He 
had  seen  long  ago  that  the  Roman  Empire  was  the 
world-power  of  Antichrist  (2  Thess.  2:6f.),  unless, 
indeed,  as  Lightfoot  suggests,  Paul  then  looked  on 
the  Empire  as  the  power  that  was  restraining  Anti- 
christ, a  view  I  do  not  hold.  But  Paul  with  a  states- 
man's grasp  of  the  situation  saw  that  the  kingdom  of 
Christ  and  the  kingdom  of  Caesar  were  at  grips  with 
each  other.  He  longed  to  win  this  world  empire  to 
Christ  and  laid  his  plans  to  that  end.     His  appeal  to 

*  TO.  TTe/j]  Tov  kupioo  'It](1oo  ^piarou. 
^  fierd  ndffrj^  Tzapprjuta^. 


THE   BRIEF  SALUTATION  I9 

Caesar  sharpened  the  issue,  though  Nero  as  yet  had 
taken  no  notice  of  Christianity.  The  official  attitude 
of  Rome  was  still  probably  the  lofty  indifference  and 
tolerance  of  Gallio  which  looked  upon  Christianity 
as  a  variety  of  the  Jewish  superstition  and  hence  a 
religio  licita}  At  Rome  the  greatest  preacher  of 
Christianity  necessarily  gave  fresh  impetus  to  the 
cause  of  Christ,  as  we  shall  see,  and  made  Christians 
'•  a  mark  for  the  wanton  attack  of  the  tyrant.  The 
preaching  of  Paul  was  the  necessary  antecedent  to 
the  persecution  of  Nero  "  (Lightfoot,  Phil.,  p.  2). 
The  shadow  of  Nero  falls  across  Paul's  path  because 
he  had  appealed  directly  to  him.  Even  if  Nero  finally 
dismissed  the  case  without  a  formal  trial,  Paul  was 
still  at  the  mercy  of  the  Roman  Emperor.  Roman 
power  and  Roman  citizenship  loom  large  before 
Paul  now  and  bring  out  more  strongly  the  imperial 
aspects  of  the  kingdom  of  God. 

The  character  of  the  church  at  Rome  was  mixed, 
as  seems  probable  from  Philippians  i  :  12-20  and 
from  Romans  i,  2,  15.  They  were  partly  Jews  and 
partly  Gentiles,  though  the  Jewish  element  apparently 

'  Prof.  D.  Plooij,  of  Leiden  (see  The  Expositor,  December, 
1914,  February,  191 7,  and  M.  Jones'  reply  March,  191 5), 
contends  for  the  idea  that  Luke  wrote  the  Acts  as  an  apolo- 
getic for  Paul  to  influence  Jewish  and  Roman  opinion  about 
Paul  favourably  for  his  release  from  his  first  imprisonment.  He 
does  not  mean  that  the  book  was  ever  formally  presented  to 
Nero,  but  that  it  was  conceived  as  a  defense  of  Paul's  career. 
This  interpretation  explains  the  attention  given  to  the  arrest  in 
Jerusalem  and  the  imprisonment  in  Cssarea. 


20  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

predominated.  Rome  itself  was  the  home  of  men  of  all 
races  and  all  lands,  a  conglomerate  like  New  York  to- 
day. Paul  had  already  many  friends  in  Rome,  if  we 
still  take,  as  I  do,  Romans  i6  as  a  genuine  part  of 
the  Epistle  to  the  Romans.  Rome  drew  people  like  a 
magnet  from  all  parts  of  the  world,  and  Christians  came 
as  well  as  others.  Probably  few  people  of  social  or 
political  importance  in  Rome  had  as  yet  identified 
themselves  with  this  "  superstitio  externa  "  (Tacitus), 
with  which  Pomponia  Graecina,  wife  of  Plautius, 
Britain's  conqueror,  was  charged.  A  generation 
later,  Lightfoot  notes  (pp.  2i  f),  "  Flavius  Clemens 
and  his  wife  Flavia  Domitilla,  both  cousins  of 
Domitian,  were  accused  of  •  atheism,'  and  condemned 
by  the  emperor."  Legend  has  claimed  as  Christians 
"  the  poet  Lucan,  the  philosopher  Epictetus,  the 
powerful  freedmen  Narcissus  and  Epaphroditus,  the 
emperor's  mistresses,  Acte  and  Poppcea,  a  strange  med- 
ley of  good  and  bad,"  but  without  a  particle  of  proof. 
More  interest  attaches  to  the  presence  in  Rome  of 
the  Stoic  philosopher  Seneca  as  Nero's  friend  and 
adviser.  The  subject  has  a  fascination  for  Lightfoot 
(pp.  270-333)  and  there  is  small  doubt  that  Paul  had 
adequate  knowledge  of  Stoicism.  He  had  probably 
met  it  in  Tarsus,  the  home  of  Athenodorus.  In 
Athens  Paul  argued  with  the  Stoics  (Acts  17:  18). 
Many  of  the  ethical  teachings  of  Paul's  Epistles  are 
parallel  to  those  of  the  Stoics  as  seen  in  the  writings 
of  Seneca  and  Epictetus.     Many  of  these  were  mor^ 


THE  BRIEF  SALUTATION  21 

or  less  current  proverbs  and  sayings  of  the  time. 
But  there  is  no  real  evidence  that  Paul  and  Seneca 
met  or  that  they  had  any  Hterary  connection.  "  The 
Letters  of  St.  Paul  and  Seneca  "  are  certainly  spurious. 
Ramsay  ("  St.  Paul  the  Traveller,"  p.  355)  thinks  that 
Seneca  exerted  a  restraining  influence  of  great  value 
on  Nero  till  his  disgrace  and  retirement  in  a.  d.  62, 
when  Nero  became  much  worse  under  the  baleful 
influence  of  Tigellinus.  The  fact  that  Nero,  Seneca, 
and  Paul  are  in  Rome  at  the  same  time  appeals  to 
one's  imagination.  Nero  is  the  embodiment  of  will- 
ful power  and  wanton  ambition.  Seneca  is  the  adroit 
and  suave  worldly-wise  philosopher  in  the  imperial 
court  where  he  preaches  lofty  maxims  for  others  to 
practice,  a  Stoic  in  creed  and  a  hair-splitter  in  practice 
like  the  Jewish  Pharisee.  Both  would  scorn  to  no- 
tice Paul  the  provincial  prisoner,  a  Jew  and  worse, 
a  Christian,  an  intellectual  outcast  with  no  standing 
with  gods  or  men.  The  very  pride  of  Nero  and 
Seneca  lifted  Paul  to  greater  heights  by  contrast. 
This  "  prisoner  of  Christ  "  '  (Eph.  3  :  i),  this  "  slave 
of  Christ  Jesus  "  ^  (Phil,  i  :  i),  this  "  ambassador  in 
a  chain  "  '  (Eph.  6  :  20),  is  conscious  of  his  spiritual, 
moral,  and  intellectual  superiority  to  Nero,  Seneca, 
and  all  the  minions  of  the  world-power  of  that  age^ 
He  was  the  ambassador  *  from  the  Lord  Jesus  in  heaven 


'  diffiico<s  TOO  ^piffTou. 

'  douXog,  same  root  (de-)  as  in  di-(7-fj.io?  bondsman. 

'  unep  00  Tzpeff^euu)  iv  dkuffet.  *  npea^ev'S, 


22  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

to  the  court  of  each  soul  in  Rome  and  all  the  world. 
The  proud  court  of  Nero  was  to  Paul  but  an  incident 
and  an  item  in  his  world  program.  The  outcome  has 
vindicated  Paul  as  all  the  world  knows.  The  great 
man  is  the  man  who  does  the  really  great  task  in 
spite  of  appearances.  The  glitter  of  tinsel  in  Rome 
did  not  confuse  the  eyes  of  Paul.  He  was  able  to 
grasp  the  elements  of  real  power  in  the  world  and  to 
work  with  God  and  to  abide  God's  time.  One  is 
tempted  to  linger  with  this  hero  of  faith  as  he  makes 
Rome  the  new  world  capital  of  spiritual  energy  and 
power.  He  vitalizes  the  Roman  Church  (Phil. 
I  :  12-20)  and  directs  the  enterprise  of  Christian 
missions  in  the  Lycus  Valley,  in  Philippi,  and 
wherever  there  was  call  for  cheer  and  guidance.  He 
is  guiding  the  forces  that  will  ultimately  overthrow 
the  world-powers  of  evil  and  make  Nero's  power 
puny  and  Seneca's  sophistries  puerile. 

3.    The  City  of  Philippi. 

The  ancient  name  was  Crenides  (Strabo  vii.  331) 
or  springs  ("  Little  Fountains ").  Philip  II  of 
Macedon,  father  of  Alexander  the  Great,  gave  his 
name  to  each  one  of  the  springs  and  hence  Philippi 
(plural)  for  the  town.  The  city  occupied  a  strategic 
position  on  a  hill,  between  the  rivers  Strymon  and 
Nestus,  which  commanded  a  view  of  the  plain  of 
Druma  with  the  river  Gangites  or  Angites  (Herod, 
vii.  1 1 3)  and  overlooked  also  the  mountain  pass  be- 


THE   BRIEF  SALUTATION  23 

tween  Pangseus  and  Hsemus.  It  is  nine  miles  from 
its  seaport,  Neapolis  (the  modern  Kavala).  Philip 
seized  it  and  exploited  it  for  its  gold  and  silver  mines, 
which  were  of  great  service  for  his  wars  and  helped 
him  as  much  as  his  use  of  the  Macedonian  phalanx. 
The  gold  went  before  and  paved  the  way  for  the 
phalanx.  He  gained  a  revenue  from  these  mines  of 
a  thousand  talents  a  year  (Diodorus  xvi.  8). 

With  the  battle  of  Pydna  in  b.  c.  168  Macedonia 
became  Roman  and  in  b.  c.  146  one  Roman  province. 
But  Strabo  (vii.  331)  says  that  it  was  now  "  a  small 
settlement"  {Kozoinia  fj.tkpd)  and  the  exhaustion  of  the 
mines  marked  its  decline  as  a  commercial  point.  In 
the  autumn  of  b.  c,  42  Cassius  and  Brutus  successively 
met  defeat  here  (twenty  days  apart)  at  the  hands  of 
Octavius  and  Antony ;  and  the  defeat  and  suicide 
pf  Cassius  and  Brutus  marked  the  end  of  the  Roman 
republic.  Macedonia  and  Achaia  were  at  first  sena- 
torial provinces,  then  at  their  own  request  imperial 
under  Tiberius  (Tac.  Ann.  i.  76)  and  senatorial  again 
under  Claudius  (Snet.  Claud.  25).  Octavius  was 
much  impressed  by  the  position  and  importance  of 
Philippi  and  made  it  a  military  colony  {Colojiia  lulia 
fhilippensis)  with  the  jus  Italicum.  Copper  coins 
of  Philippi  have  the  inscription  Colonia  lulia  Augusta 
Victrix  Philip pcnsium.  This  title  was  given  after  the 
battle  of  Actium  b.  c.  31,  when  the  colony  was  largely 
strengthened  by  Italian  partisans  of  Antony  displaced 
at  Rome  by  followers  of  Octavius.     The  city  was 


24  PAUL'S  JOY  IN  CHRIST 

thus  a  colony'  (Acts  i6:  12)  with  many  privileges, 
immunity  from  taxation  being  the  chief  one.  The 
people  also  had  the  right  to  own  and  sell  property 
like  other  Roman  citizens  and  the  right  of  civil  action 
(vindicatio).  The  mother  city  was  copied  closely  and 
the  colony  was  in  reality  "  a  miniature  Rome  "(Vin- 
cent) even  in  the  form  and  the  appearance  of  the 
city.  Roman  inscriptions  were  on  the  coinage.  The 
city  had  its  own  magistrates  {Duumviri)  who  called 
themselves  Prcstores  "^  {Kcts  16:20-38).  The  city 
was  exempt  from  interference  from  the  provincial 
government.^  The  famous  Egnatian  Way  {Via 
Egnatia)  ran  by  Philippi  and  added  to  its  impor- 
tance as  an  outpost  of  Rome.  It  is  not  clear  what 
Luke  means  by  "  the  first  of  the  district "  ^  (Acts 
16;  12).  Thessalonica  was  the  capital  of  the  province 
and  Amphipolis,  thirty-three  miles  away,  was  a  larger 
city.  But  Philippi,  because  a  colony  and  in  such  a 
strategic  position,  may  still  have  been  the  most  im- 
portant in  rank  in  this  district  of  Macedonia. 

The  village  of  Filibedjik  or  Filibat,  which  preserved 
the  name  Philippi,  has  now  vanished.  Near  by  is 
the  modern  village  of  Ratchka,  in  a  ravine  to  one 
side  of  the  ancient  city  which  was  on  the  height. 
But  "  an  enclosure  of  rough  stones  preserves  traces 
of  the  Hellenic  wall "  (Vincent,  Int.  Crit.  C,  p.  xvii.) 

'  k()X(ovia,  '  (TzpaTrjyni, 

*  Mommsen,  "  Provinces  of  the  Roman  Empire,"  i.,  pp. 
299-302,  *  ~(i(orrj  T^?  fxepido^. 


THE  BRIEF  SALUTATION  25 

upon  the  hill,  while  the  plain  below  is  covered  with 
ruins  and  the  theatre  can  still  be  seen  on  the  face  of 
the  acropolis  fronting  Mount  Pangaeus.  The  rocks 
around  are  covered  with  inscriptions  to  the  ancient 
gods,  "  a  veritable  museum  of  mythology  "  (Heuzy 
and  Daumet,  "  Mission  Archeologique  de  Mace- 
doine,"  p.  85).  Traces  exist  of  a  temple  dedicated  to 
the  Roman  god  Silvanus,  one  of  the  popular  deities 
of  the  imperial  era.  He  was  considered  "  the  sacred 
guardian  of  the  Emperor"  (Kennedy,  "  Exp.  Greek 
Testament,"  Vol.  Ill,  p.  400).  Two  statues  of  this  god 
have  been  found,  one  of  which  may  have  stood  in 
the  temple  here  at  Philippi.  Tablets  also  have  been 
found  with  the  names  of  the  members  of  the  sacred 
college  of  the  temple.  Some  of  these  names  (like 
Crescens,  Pudens,  Secundus,  Trophimus)  are  the 
same  as  those  of  some  of  Paul's  friends.  The  god 
Men  was  also  worshipped  here  and  Dionysus,  the 
favourite  god  of  Thrace,  had  his  chief  sanctuary  in 
the  mountains  near  by.  There  was  plenty  of  religion, 
such  as  it  was,  in  Philippi,  when  Paul  and  his  party 
first  appeared  here. 

4.     Paul  in  Philippi. 

Situated  on  one  of  the  main  trade  routes  east  and 
west,  Philippi  offered  a  splendid  opportunity  for 
Paul's    first  work   in    Europe.'     "  Philip  and  Alex- 

'  Ramsay,  "  Church  in  the  Roman  Empire,"  pp.  56,  70. 


26  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

ander,  ^milius,  Mummius,  and  Octavianus  had  thus 
prepared  the  way  for  Paul "  (Vincent,  p.  xviii.). 
The  Macedonian  Cry'  (Acts  i6:8-io)  was  not 
specifically  from  Philippi.  It  was  simply  "  a  certain 
Macedonian  man  "  ^  who  was  standing  in  the  vision 
and  urging  Paul :  "  Cross  over  into  IN'Iacedonia  and 
help  us."  ^  This  incident  is  in  one  of  the  "  we-sec- 
tions  "  of  Acts  which  fact  shows  that  Luke,  the  au- 
thor of  the  book,  was  present.  Ramsay  *  says  that 
Paul,  since  the  Macedonians  and  Greeks  dressed 
ahke,  recognized  the  man  in  his  dream  by  sight  as 
one  already  known  to  him.  Hence  he  argues  that 
the  man  was  Luke  who  had  talked  to  Paul  before  he 
had  his  vision  about  the  need  in  Macedonia.  Ram- 
say concludes  further  that  Luke  now  lived  in  Phi- 
lippi, as  is  shown  also  by  the  fact  that  Luke  con- 
tinued in  Philippi  for  some  five  years  after  Paul's 
first  visit.  We  do  not  know  whether  Luke  was  a 
Macedonian  by  birth  if  he  now  lived  there.  There 
is  some  support  for  the  idea  that  he  was  a  native  of 
Antioch  in  Syria.  It  is  not  clear  whether  Luke  first 
met  Paul  in  Alexandria  Troas,  or  had  already  been 
with  him  in  Galatia  during  his  illness  there  (Gal. 
4  :  1 3).''  But,  at  any  rate,  we  know  the  names  of 
Paul's  three  companions  (Silas  or  Silvanus,  Timothy, 

'  In  the  second  missionary  journey,  a.  d.  50-51. 

*  a.v7]p  MaRtdu)>  ri?. 

^  dia,3a<i  e/?  Mar:e8(i\>ioy  jSoyjOrjfyov  r^/dv. 

*"  St.  Paul  the  Traveller  and  the  Roman  Citizen,"  p.  201. 

*  Shaw  ("  Pauline  Epistles,"  p.  400)  thinks  that  Luke  now 


THE   BRIEF   SALUTATION  2^ 

and  Luke)  who  went  with  him  from  Alexandria 
Troas  to  Philippi.  They  all  "  concluded  " '  (Acts 
i6 :  lo)  with  Paul  that  God  called  them  to  evangelize 
Macedonia.  The  cry  was  the  cry  of  one  man,  but 
he  plead  for  his  country,  and  it  was  the  voice  of  God. 
Paul  is  in  Philippi  three  times.  The  first  time  is 
recorded  in  Acts  i6  :  11-40,  and  the  narrative  is  full 
and  vivid  and  adds  further  point  to  the  view  that 
Luke  now  made  Philippi  his  home.  Ramsay  ("  St. 
Paul  the  Traveller  and  the  Roman  Citizen,"  p.  206) 
thinks  that  Luke  here  shows  "  the  true  Greek  pride 
in  his  own  city."  One  is  struck  at  once  by  the  ab- 
sence of  Jewish  influence  in  Philippi  and  the  promi- 
nence of  the  Roman  element  in  the  narrative  (M.  N. 
Tod,  "  Philippi  in  Int.  St.  Bible  Enc").  There  was 
no  synagogue  in  the  city,  showing  that  the  number 
of  Jews  there  were  small.  It  was  now  a  military 
outpost  rather  than  a  great  commercial  emporium 
like  Thessalonica  where  Jews  abounded.  The  pray- 
ing place  ^  (Acts  16:  13)  may  have  been  in  reality  a 
synagogue.  There  seems  no  doubt  that  proseuche 
was  used  for  synagogue.^  The  location  of  the  pray- 
ing place  several  miles  out  of  town  by  the  riverside 
was  due  to  the  need  of  water  for  the  Jewish  ablu- 
tions.    The  worshippers  were  mostly  women,  as  Paul 

lived  at  Troas  and  met  Paul  in  a  professional  way  as  his  phy- 
sician and  was  thus  converted. 

'  (rov/?:/5'aCovr£9  making  go  together.  ^  Tzpoazw/rj. 

^  Schuerer,  "  Jewish  People  in  the  Time  of  Jesus  Christ," 
Vol.  II,  Div.  II,  pp.  68-73. 


28  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

and  his  friends  found,  and  they  did  not  seem  to  be 
certain  (we  supposed)  '  of  finding  the  place  of  worship 
at  all,  having  evidently  failed  to  find  a  synagogue  in 
the  city  as  had  been  so  easy  to  do  in  Salamis  (Acts 
13:5),  Antioch  in  Pisidia  (13:14-43),  Iconium 
(14:  i),  etc.  Here  by  the  Gangites  Paul  was  on  the 
site  of  the  battle  of  Philippi  and  near  the  old  mines 
(Shaw,  "  PauUne  Epistles,"  p.  405).  Here,  moreover, 
the  Jews  seem  to  have  been  few,  for  Luke  does  not 
say  that  Lydia  was  a  proselyte,  but  a  "  God-fearer  "  ^ 
(Acts  16:  14),  a  Gentile  who  had  come  to  worship 
the  God  of  the  Jews,  hke  Cornelius  in  Acts  10,  but 
not  necessarily  one  who  had  gone  over  formally  to 
Judaism.  There  is  no  mention  of  Jewish  converts, 
for  the  household  ^  of  Lydia,  if  her  employees,  were 
probably  simply  •'  God-fearers  "  like  herself.  Some 
Jews  may  have  been  converted,  or  at  any  rate  Paul 
found  it  necessary  in  his  letter  to  warn  the  church 
against  the  activity  of  the  Judaizers  (Phil.  3 :  1-2). 
It  was  a  small  enough  beginning  that  Paul  was  able 
to  make.  "  A  man  had  summoned  Paul  to  Mace- 
donia in  the  vision.  Paul  went  to  Macedonia  and 
found  a  ivoinan  first  of  all "  (Hayes,  ••  Paul  and  His 
Epistles,"  p.  411)."'     But  this  Asiatic  merchant-woman 

'  ivofii^oiisv.  *  ffe^o/iivr]  tuv  Oeov. 

*  Women  seemed  to  occupy  "  a  specially  favourable  position 
in  Macedonia  "  (Kennedy,  Phil.,  p.  402).  Note  mention  ot 
the  activity  of  women  in  Acts  16  :  13  ;  17  :  4,  12.  "The 
extant  Macedonian  inscriptions  seem  to  assign  to  the  sex  a 


THE   BRIEF   SALUTATION  29 

from  Thyatira  proved  to  be  one  of  the  greatest 
trophies  in  Paul's  ministry.  This  church  came  to  be 
the  joy  and  crown  of  Paul  (Phil.  4 :  i),  and  that  fact 
was  largely  due  to  Lydia  and  Luke. 

The  Roman  features  of  the  story  come  out  sharply 
in  connection  with  the  episode  of  the  poor  girl  with 
the  spirit  of  a  python  or  divination.'  Luke  represents 
Paul  as  driving  the  spirit  out  of  her  (Acts  16 :  18)  as 
of  an  unclean  spirit  or  demon.  A  Pythoness  was 
thought  to  have  oracular  power  from  the  Pythian 
Apollo  who  had  a  shrine  near  here.  She  was  able 
to  earn  many  a  penny  for  her  masters^  (16:19), 
whose  slave  she  probably  was,  by  her  soothsaying  or 
raving^  (16 :  16).  The  ancients  sometimes  described 
such  a  gift  as  that  of  ventriloquism,^  but,  whatever 
the  cause,  the  poor  girl  was  exploited  by  a  company 
of  men  for  commercial  purposes  just  as  "  white- 
slavers  "  exploit  girls  to-day  for  gold.  We  are 
making  some  progress  in  the  United  States  when  at 
last  Congress  has  passed  a  child-labour  law.  It  is  an 
old  trick,  this  use  of  helpless  children  and  women  to 
fill  the  pockets  of  greed.  Paul  touched  this  "  syndi- 
cate in  its  tenderest  spot  "  (Shaw, "  Pauline  Epistles," 
p.  406).     He  had  no  respect  for  the  vested  interests 

higher  social  influence  than  is  common  among  the  civilized 
nations  of  antiquity "  (Lightfoot,  Phil.,  p.  56  ;  cf.  also 
Achelis,  Zeitschr,  f.  N.  T.  Wiss.  I,  2,  pp.  97-98). 

'  Tzveufia  TzuOu)va.  ^  ol  kopioi.  ^  p.avrsuorj.ivrj. 

*  eyyaarpifiuOu^.  Ramsay,  **  St.  Paul  the  Traveller,"  p. 
215,  accepts  the  view  that  the  girl  was  a  ventriloquist. 


30  PAUL'S  JOY  IN  CHRIST 

of  capital  that  traded  in  human  Hfe  and  human  souls. 
He  set  the  girl  free  from  the  spell  of  Satan  and  from 
the  grip  of  her  enslavers.  Their  fury  knew  no 
bounds  and  was  as  violent  as  is  the  rage  of  men  to- 
day who  are  compelled  to  give  up  the  liquor  business, 
gambling,  or  any  other  form  of  graft  or  greed  that 
fattens  on  the  weaknesses  of  human  nature.  These 
men  (the  girl's  masters)  were  Romans,  as  is  shown 
by  the  appeal  to  race  prejudice  which  they  make  in 
the  effort  to  stir  up  the  Romans  against  the  Jews 
(Acts  i6:2of.).  The  Romans  were  more  than  half 
the  population  of  the  city,  though  there  was  still  a 
solid  substratum  of  the  old  Macedonian  stock.  So 
then  the  masters  of  the  girl  feel  perfectly  safe  in  the 
spurious  cry  which  they  put  forth  to  the  archons  ' 
(16:20,  the  common  Greek  term  for  chief  magis- 
trates) or  the  praetors  2  (16:21,  the  Latin  term 
claimed  by  the  magistrates,  though  duumviri  was  the 
technical  title)  in  the  market-place  ^  like  the  Roman 
forum.  These  officers  are  accompanied  by  lictors* 
(16  :  35,  38)  or  sergeants  who  carry  the  fasces  with 
which  they  scourge  Paul  and  Silas'  (16  :  22).  They 
are  charged  with  a  breach  of  public  order  and  the  intro- 
duction of  customs  '^  unlawful  for  Romans  to  observe. 
It  was  a  skillful  turn,  for  '•  the  population  prided 
themselves  on  their  Roman  character  and  actually 
called  themselves  Romans  "  (Ramsay,  "  St.  Paul  the 

*  p'ai38ouxoi.  ^  p'a^diZstv.  ^  edrj. 


THE   BRIEF  SALUTATION  3I 

Traveller,"  p.  218).  No  chance  was  offered  for 
Paul  and  Silas  to  defend  themselves,  but  they  are  at 
once  condemned  after  an  onset  by  the  multitude 
who  are  completely  deceived  by  the  pious  and 
patriotic  claptrap  of  the  accusers.  The  magistrates 
themselves  give  way  to  excited  indignation  and  the 
farcical  trial  is  over.  Paul  and  Silas  are  placed  in  the 
inner  prison  for  safety  with  their  feet  fast  in  the 
stocks.'  The  forms  of  Roman  law  are  duly  observed, 
but  the  spirit  of  justice  is  utterly  violated.  The  sud- 
den change  of  base  by  the  magistrates  next  morning 
after  the  earthquake  is  not  explained  by  Luke  (Acts 
16:  35)^  when  they  sent  the  hctors  and  said  to  the 
jailor :  "  Let  these  men  go."  The  magistrates  may 
have  heard  what  had  taken  place  and  may  also  have 
become  ashamed  of  their  conduct.  But  this  request 
gave  Paul  his  opportunity  to  state  the  fact  of  his  own 
Roman  citizenship  and  to  recount  how  Roman  law 
had  been  violated  in  his  imprisonment.  Everything 
done  to  him  and  Silas  was  illegal,  they  being  Romans. 
They  had  been  beaten  publicly  and  uncondemned ' 

^  £('9  rrjv  iffwTipav  (pulan-qv. 

"  The  addition  in  Codex  Bezae  ("  assembled  together  in  the 
Agora,  and  remembering  the  earthquake  that  had  taken  place, 
they  were  afraid,  and  ")  is  hardly  genuine.  Cf.  Ramsay,  "  St. 
Paul  the  Traveller,"  p.  223. 

^Ramsay,  "St.  Paul  the  Traveller,"  p.  225,  thinks  that 
Luke  has  not  accurately  rendered  Paul  here,  who  probably 
spoke  in  Latin  and  said  re  iticogttita,  "  without  investigating 
our  case."  But  it  did  aggravate  the  matter  for  the  imprison- 
ment to  happen  without  condemnation. 


32  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

and  cast  into  prison.  It  was  a  sudden  turn  of  the 
wheel  of  fortune  and  the  magistrates  are  themselves 
in  grave  peril.  They  come  and  in  apologetic  style 
beg  Paul  and  Silas  to  leave  before  further  compli- 
cations arise.  They  do  go,  but  not  before  their  own 
innocence  is  established  and  Christianity  is  vindicated 
in  Philippi.  We  do  not  know  how  long  Paul  was  in 
Philippi,  though  Luke  uses  "  many  days "  (Acts 
l6:  i8)  of  the  case  of  the  girl  with  the  spirit  of 
divination.  But  a  sturdy  church  of  Gentile  Chris- 
tians is  now  established  before  Paul  leaves.  Paul 
went  to  Lydia's  house  and  "  comforted  the  breth- 
ren," showing  that  men  were  won  also  to  Christ 
here,  though  the  term  for  "  brethren " '  probably 
included  the  "  sisters  "  also.  Lightfoot  (Phil.,  p.  57) 
notes  how  in  Philippi  the  gospel  exerted  a  powerful 
effect  on  woman,  on  the  slave,  and  on  family  life 
(Lydia  and  the  jailor).  The  church  in  the  house 
of  Lydia,  for  they  had  no  other  meeting  place  at 
first,  grew  to  be  the  most  loyal  and  helpful  of  all  the 
Pauline  churches.  When  Paul  and  Silas  left  Philippi, 
Luke  and  Timothy  remained  behind.  Troubles  came 
to  the  Philippian  church  "  in  much  proof  of  afflic- 
tion "  (2  Cor.  8  :  2)  at  a  later  time,  we  know,  and 
probably  also  soon  after  Paul  left,  for  the  Philippians 
knew  the  "proof"  of  Timothy  (Phil.  2:22).  It  is 
meet,  therefore,  that  Paul  should  associate  Timothy 
(now  with  Paul  in  Rome)  with  him  in  the  salutation 


THE  BRIEF  SALUTATION  33 

of  the  Epistle  (Phil,  i  :  i),  though  Timothy  is  in  no 
sense  co-author  with  Paul.  Timothy  joined  Paul 
and  Silas  in  Bercea  (Acts  17:  14)  and  probably  be- 
fore that  in  Thessalonica  (Phil.  4:  16),  *'  for  even  in 
Thessalonica  ye  sent  once  and  again  to  my  need." 
Luke,  however,  apparently  remained  in  Philippi. 

Paul  appears  in  Philippi  again  during  the  third 
mission  tour  (a.  d.  55-57)  when  he  hurried  over  from 
Troas  to  Macedonia  ahead  of  time  in  his  eagerness 
to  see  Titus  on  his  way  back  from  Corinth  (2  Cor. 
2:12;  7:5-14;  Acts  20 :  i).  We  do  not  know 
that  Paul  stopped  at  Philippi  and  met  Titus  there, 
but  there  is  every  probability  of  it,  though  Paul  tells 
us  that  "  even  in  Macedonia  "  he  had  no  relief  till 
Titus  came  (2  Cor.  7  :  5  f.).  We  naturally  think  of 
him  as  waiting  with  Luke  and  Lydia  in  Philippi  who 
could  cheer  his  despondent  spirit  in  the  meanwhile. 
He  was  preceded  by  Timothy  and  Erastus  (Acts 
19 :  22).  He  had  originally  planned  to  go  first  to 
Corinth  from  Ephesus  and  then  to  Macedonia  and 
back  to  Corinth  and  Jerusalem  (2  Cor.  1:15  f.),  but 
the  acuteness  of  the  crisis  in  Corinth  made  Paul  de- 
cide to  postpone  his  visit  to  Corinth  till  they  had  one 
more  chance  for  repentance,  and  so  he  sent  Titus  to 
them  with  a  rather  sharp  letter  (2  Cor.  2  :  1-4),  the 
effect  of  which  he  awaited  with  eager  anxiety.  The 
outcome  was  joyful  on  the  whole  (2  Cor,  7  :  5-15), 
though  the  minority  remained  stubborn  (2  Cor. 
2:  5-1 1  ;  10-13).     While  in  Philippi  Paul  apparently 


34  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

wrote  2  Corinthians,  if  we  take  the  Epistle  as  a  unit, 
as  I  still  hold  to  be  the  most  plausible  theory.  Paul 
is  still  in  Macedonia  when  he  writes  (2  Cor.  8 :  1-5  ; 
9  :  2-4).  But  Luke,  for  some  reason,  tells  us  nothing 
in  Acts  about  this  visit  of  Paul  to  Philippi  and  Mace- 
donia. 

After  three  months  in  Achaia  (Acts  20 :  3)  Paul 
suddenly  changed  his  plans  again  and,  instead  of  sail- 
ing direct  to  Syria,  went  on  to  Philippi,  where  he 
met  Luke  again  who  remained  with  him  till  the  close 
of  Acts.  Luke  gives  the  names  of  Paul's  compan- 
ions in  travel  (Acts  20  : 4),  messengers  of  the  churches 
to  accompany  Paul  in  carrying  the  great  gift  to  the 
poor  saints  in  Jerusalem,  and  he  mentions  the  fact 
that  Paul  remained  in  Philippi  to  keep  the  passover 
there  (Acts  20  :  6),  probably  a  slight  evidence  of  the 
presence  of  some  Jewish  Christians  by  this  time  in 
the  church  in  Philippi. 

We  know,  if  we  may  follow  the  Pastoral  Epistles 
as  letters  of  Paul  as  I  do,  that  Paul  was  in  Mace- 
donia once  more,  though  after  he  wrote  the  Epistle 
to  the  Philippians.  When  he  wrote  to  the  church, 
he  expressed  the  hope  that  he  would  himself  be  able 
to  come  "  shortly  "' (Phil.  2:24).  He  did  come  to 
Macedonia  again  after  his  release  from  imprisonment 
in  Rome,  and  was  there  when  he  wrote  the  first 
Epistle  to  Timothy  (i  Tim.  i  :  3).  It  is  certainly 
highly  probable  that  Paul  went  once  more  to  Phi- 


THE  BRIEF  SALUTATION  35 

lippi  where  he  could  thank  them  face  to  face  for 
their  many  tokens  of  affection  and  support  during 
the  years.  There  may,  indeed,  have  been  other 
visits,  but  these  four  are  reasonably  certain. 

5.    The  Philippian  Church  and  Paul. 

Paul  himself  tells  us  of  the  devotion  and  zeal  of 
the  Philippian  church.  While  Paul  was  in  Thessa- 
lonica  shortly  after  leaving  Philippi  (Acts  17 :  1-9), 
the  church  in  Philippi  had  sent  twice  at  least  gifts 
for  his  needs  (Phil.  4 :  16).  They  kept  up  this  good 
work  when  Paul  went  to  Corinth  and  was  in  want, 
for  it  was  not  Corinth,  but  Philippi  alone  that  at  first 
supplied  his  wants  above  what  he  could  make  by  his 
own  hands  (2  Cor.  11:9;  Phil.  4:15).  The  ex- 
ample of  Philippi  was  later  followed  by  some  other 
churches,  though  never  by  all.  "  I  robbed  other 
churches,"  Paul  ironically  says,  "  taking  wages  of 
them  that  I  might  minister  unto  you  "  (2  Cor.  1 1 :  8). 
"  In  the  beginning  of  the  Gospel,  when  I  departed 
from  Macedonia,  no  church  had  fellowship  with  me 
in  the  matter  of  giving  and  receiving  but  ye  only  " 
(Phil,  4:  15).  Probably  Thessalonica  and  Bercea 
soon  fell  into  Hne  with  Philippi  and  helped  Paul  in 
Corinth.  Certainly  Thessalonica  became  "  an  ex- 
ample to  all  that  believe  in  Macedonia  and  Achaia  " 
(i  Thess.  I  :  7).  From  them  "  has  echoed  forth  the 
word  of  the  Lord"'(i  :  8). 


36  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

But  no  one  of  the  Pauline  churches  was  so  thor- 
oughly missionary  in  spirit  and  deed  as  that  in  Phi- 
lippi.  The  church  in  Antioch  has  as  its  glory  that 
it  rose  above  the  narrow  prejudices  of  the  Judaizers 
in  Jerusalem,  the  Pharisaic  (anti-mission  or  "  Hard- 
shell "  element  there),  and  welcomed  the  propaganda 
among  the  Gentiles,  though  there  is  no  evidence  that 
the  Antioch  church  contributed  anything  but  good- 
will to  the  enterprise.  It  was  a  Greek  church  and 
was  open  to  this  world-movement.  But  the  Roman 
church  in  Philippi  rallied  heartily  and  steadily  to  the 
practical  support  of  Paul's  missionary  campaign  to 
win  the  Roman  Empire  for  Christ.  They  set  the 
pace  for  all  time  for  the  churches  that  wish  to  ex- 
emplify the  love  of  Christ  for  men.  It  was  all  the 
more  beautiful  that  it  was  voluntary  and  continuous. 
The  Greek  church  at  Antioch  had  responded  to  the 
appeal  of  Paul  and  Barnabas  to  send  a  contribution 
to  the  poor  saints  in  Jerusalem  in  proof  of  the  gen- 
uineness of  their  conversion  (Acts  1 1  :  29  f ),  but  they 
did  not  at  first  catch  the  vision  of  practical  coopera- 
tion with  Paul  in  his  great  missionary  enterprise. 
This  glory  belongs  to  the  church  in  Philippi,  who 
thus  became  Paul's  "  joy  and  crown  "  (Phil.  4 :  i). 
They  had  true  "  fellowship  "  with  Paul  in  the  work 
of  the  Gospel.  At  first  they  alone  had  this  "  part- 
nership," '  for  this  is  the  true  meaning  of  the  word 
(Phil.  1:5;  4:14  f.).     They  alone  at  first  were  Paul's 

'  Koivwvia. 


THE   BRIEF  SALUTATION  37 

"  co-sharers  "  *  (Phil,  i  :  7)  in  this  grace  of  giving  the 
Gospel  to  the  lost  world.  It  may  seem  amazing  that 
the  early  churches  were  so  slow  to  respond  to  the 
missionary  appeal.  But  it  is  not  for  modern  Chris- 
tians to  say  much  on  this  subject  till  we  do  enough 
to  entitle  us  to  speak. 

The  church  at  Philippi  probably  did  far  more  for 
Paul  than  he  has  told  in  his  letters.  The  last  instance 
of  their  "  fellowship  "  after  an  interval  when  they 
"  lacked  opportunity  "  (Phil.  4 :  10)  was  while  Paul 
was  in  Rome  the  first  time  when  they  sent  Epaphro- 
ditus,  "  your  messenger  and  minister,  to  my  need  " 
(Phil.  2 :  25).  They  seem  to  have  fairly  outdone 
themselves  this  time  and  their  gift  was  "an  odour  of  a 
sweet  smell,  a  sacrifice,  acceptable,  well-pleasing  to 
God"  (Phil.  4:18).  They  may  have  sent  a  letter 
to  Paul  by  Epaphroditus  and  he  may  have  written 
other  letters  of  thanks  to  them  (Phil.  3  :  i). 

Paul  leaned  on  the  church  in  Philippi  heavily  in 
raising  the  great  collection  for  the  poor  saints  in 
Jerusalem  from  the  churches  in  Galatia,  Asia,  Mace- 
donia, and  Achaia.  The  churches  in  Achaia  were 
quick  to  promise  and  slow  to  pay,  like  some  modern 
churches.  Under  the  spur  of  Titus's  leadership  they 
promised  a  whole  year  ahead  (2  Cor.  8:10)  and  Paul 
used  their  prompt  pledges  to  stir  the  Macedonian 
churches  to  activity  (9 :  2).  And  now  in  turn  he  has 
to  spur  the  Achaian  churches  on  to  actual  payment 


38  PAUL'S  JOY  IN  CHRIST 

by  the  liberality  and  prompt  paying  of  the  Mace- 
donian churches  (8:  1-15;  9:  i-S).  Paul  does  not 
wish  to  be  ashamed  of  the  Achaian  churches  if  he 
comes  with  some  of  the  Macedonian  brethren  to 
whom  he  has  boasted  of  the  Achaian  liberal  promises. 
It  is  all  a  very  modern  situation  drawn  from  life. 
But  it  is  clearly  the  church  at  Philippi,  poor  and 
generous,  that  has  long  had  the  habit  of  giving,  that 
set  the  pace  for  the  other  Macedonian  churches  and 
for  the  Achaian  churches  as  well. 

The  church  in  Philippi  no  longer  exists.  The 
Turks  have  swept  over  Macedonia  like  the  locusts  of 
Egypt.  But  its  early  fame  is  secure.  Ignatius,  Bishop 
of  Antioch,  stops  in  Philippi  early  in  the  second  cen- 
tury on  his  way  to  Rome  where  he  is  condemned  as 
a  Christian  and  is  thrown  to  the  wild  beasts.  The 
Philippian  Christians  treated  Ignatius  kindly  and 
wrote  a  letter  of  sympathy  to  his  home  church  in 
Antioch  and  to  Poly  carp,  Bishop  of  Smyrna,  asking 
him  to  send  them  copies  of  any  letters  of  Ignatius 
which  he  might  have,  a  side-light  on  the  circulation 
of  Paul's  Epistles.  Polycarp  complied  with  their 
request  and  also  wrote  the  church  a  letter  of  his  own 
full  of  comfort  and  cheer.  Polycarp  censures  a 
presbyter,  Valens,  and  his  wife  for  avarice,  though 
the  church  at  Philippi  seems  to  be  doing  well. 
The  church  lived  on  apparently  to  modern  times, 
but  no  story  of  the  destruction  of  city  and  church 
is  known.     Le  Quien  (Or.  Chr.  II,  p.  70)  gives  the 


THE  BRIEF  SALUTATION  39 

name  of  the  Bishop  of  Phihppi  when  he  wrote  in 

1740. 

6.    Purpose  of  the  Epistle. 

In  reality  Paul's  immediate  purpose  is  to  express 
his  appreciation  of  the  love  and  kindness  of  the 
Philippian  church  in  their  gracious  generosity  by  the 
hand  of  Epaphroditus  (Phil,  1:3-11;  2:19-30; 
4 :  10-20).  Three  times  he  takes  up  the  subject. 
He  explains  the  occasion  of  the  Epistle  to  be  the  re- 
turn of  Epaphroditus,  the  bearer  of  their  gift  and  now 
of  his  Epistle  to  Philippi  after  his  dangerous  illness. 
It  is  all  perfectly  natural  and  obvious.  Paul  tells  also 
something  of  his  own  situation  in  Rome  and  expounds 
his  comfort  in  Christ  and  urges  the  Philippians  to 
constant  joy.  He  strikes  a  jubilant  note,  though  a 
prisoner  himself,  as  he  and  Silas  sang  praises  at  mid- 
night in  the  Philippian  jail  (Acts  16:25).  Paul 
sings  the  song  of  victory  and  not  of  despair.  It  is 
thus  a  letter  of  joy  and  a  letter  of  love.  The  sheer 
simplicity  and  beauty  of  his  rapture  in  Christ  make 
this  Epistle  a  favourite  with  all  who  know  the  deep 
things  of  God  in  Christ.  It  is  easy  to  take  the 
theology  of  Philippians  and  apply  it  to  modern  con- 
ditions. The  mass  of  modern  men  and  women  have 
to  live  their  lives  in  untoward  circumstances.  They 
must  do  their  work  and  sing  their  song  in  spite  of 
prison  or  pain,  of  penury  or  pressure,  of  perversity  or 
pugnacity.     The  very  sanity  and  serenity  of  Paul's 


40  PAUL'S  JOY  IN  CHRIST 

piety  bring  his  loftiest  flights  within  the  range  of  the 
humblest  of  us  who  gladly  try  to  imitate  Paul  as  he 
imitated  Christ.  Lightfoot  (p.  72)  says  :  "  The  Epistle 
to  the  Philippians  is  not  only  the  noblest  reflexion 
of  St.  Paul's  personal  character  and  spiritual  illumi- 
nation, his  large  sympathies,  his  womanly  tenderness, 
his  delicate  courtesy,  his  frank  independence,  his  en- 
tire devotion  to  the  Master's  service  ;  but  as  a  monu- 
ment of  the  power  of  the  Gospel  it  yields  in  im- 
portance to  none  of  the  Apostolic  writings." 

7.    The  Church  and  the  Officers. 

Paul  does  not  here  use  the  word  church,'  but  he 
writes  "  to  all  the  saints  in  Christ  Jesus  that  are  at 
Philippi,  with  the  bishops  and  deacons."  ^  Evidently 
Paul  has  the  church  in  mind  because  he  mentions  the 
two  classes  of  officers,  "  bishops  and  deacons,"  and 
yet  'he  addresses  the  Christians  in  Philippi  as  indi- 
viduals ("  all ")  rather  than  as  an  organization.  The 
unit  in  the  kingdom  of  God  is  not  the  local  church 
and  not  the  officers.  The  church  is  made  up  of  in- 
dividual believers  and  the  church  chooses  its  own 
officers.  The  believers  are  here  addressed  as  "  saints." 
The  term  was  already  in  use  for  the  covenant  people 
of  Israel  as  "  the  saints  in  Jerusalem  "  (i  Mace.  10  :  39), 
«*  the  holy  nation,"  "  the  holy  people,"  "  the  saints  " 

^iXinnoti;  irhv  iTtcfr/^oTzoii}  nai  8ia/z6voc<s. 


THE  BRIEF  SALUTATION  41 

(cf.  Ex.  19:6;  Deut.  7:6;  14:2;  Dan.  7:18,  22). 
It  was  natural  to  apply  it  to  the  true  Israel,  the  be- 
lievers in  Christ,  "  a  chosen  generation,  a  royal  priest- 
hood, an  holy  nation  "(i  Pet.  2  :  9).  Lightfoot  (m 
loco)  notes  that  even  the  irregularities  and  profligacies 
of  the  Corinthian  church  did  not  prevent  Paul's  use 
of  the  word  for  this  church  ♦'  called  to  be  saints " 
(i  Cor.  I  :  2).'  It  is  really  the  technical  term  for 
Christians  on  a  par  with  "  believers  "  ^  and  carries 
with  it  the  atmosphere  of  consecration  found  in 
the  Old  Testament  usage  (Septuagint)  as  in  Leviticus 
11:44-45.  The  term  is  used  of  the  priests  who 
consecrated  themselves  to  God,  who  were  set  apart 
from  the  people  for  the  service  of  God.  So  it  is 
used  of  the  chosen  people  who  were  set  apart  from 
the  nations  as  God's  instrument  in  the  work  of  re- 
demption. Now  it  is  applied  to  those  of  all  nations 
who  are  set  apart  from  both  Jew  and  Gentile  as  the 
elect  of  God.  The  idea  of  holiness^  as  a  duty  is 
necessarily  involved  in  the  word,  as  appropriate  and 
obligatory,  though  not  always  actual.  Its  use  in  the 
Gospels   seems  to  be  confined  to  Matthew  27:52. 

'  The  adjective  ayiofi  is  common  in  the  inscriptions  as  Ozm 
aym  uil'iaza)  OGIS  378^  (a.  d.  18-19).  See  Moulton  and 
Milligan,  "Vocabulary  of  the  Greek  Testament." 

^  ol  Tztaroi. 

^  dyiiDfu'jvq,  dyiorrji},  dyiaaiio^.  The  verb  ayid'^u)  is  not 
yet  found  outside  of  Biblical  and  ecclesiastical  Greek.  The 
ancient  Greeks  used  dj't'Cw,  o.yiaiw'i  in  their  religious  language. 
Cf.  Moulton  and  Milligan,  "  Vocabulary  of  the  Greek  Testa- 
ment." 


42  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

Since  the  Jews  would  apply  the  term «'  the  saints  "  to 
themselves,  Paul  here  adds  "  in  Christ  Jesus  "  (Chrys- 
ostom,  ill  loco).  This  is  Paul's  common  idiom  for  the 
mystic  union  between  the  believer  and  Christ.  Jesus 
used  the  figure  of  the  vine  and  the  branches  (John 
15  :  1-8).  The  branch  abides  in  the  vine.  Paul  uses 
"  in  Christ  Jesus  "  forty-eight  times,  "  in  Christ " 
thirty-four,  "  in  the  Lord "  fifty  (Vincent,  Int.  Crit. 
Comm.).'  "  These  words  sum  up  Paul's  Christianity  " 
(Kennedy,  Exp.  Gk.  Test.).  The  idiom  is  apparently 
original  with  Paul,  but  one  must  compare  the  words 
of  Jesus,  "Abide  in  me,  and  I  in  you  "  (John  15  :  4).'' 
The  most  intimate  and  vital  union  with  Christ  is 
Paul's  idea,  not  a  perfunctory  ecclesiastical  connec- 
tion. Paul  assumes  that  the  nominal  saints  in  Philippi 
are  real  saints  in  the  sense  of  actual  life  in  Christ ; 
not  in  the  sense  of  absolute  sinlessness,  but  of  living 
connection  with  Christ  who  vitalizes  and  sustains 
each  one.  They  are  members  of  Christ's  body  of 
which  He  is  the  Head  (i  Cor.  12).  It  is  not  pro- 
fessional saints  who  pose  as  superior  to  other  be- 
lievers that  Paul  has  in  mind,  but  he  makes  his  salu- 
tation to  all  those  who  live  in  Christ  as  the  sphere 
of  the  spiritual  activity.  This  inclusive  circle  cuts 
out   other   circles.     But    Paul    does    not   ignore  the 

*  Cf.  also  Deissmann,  Die  Neutestamentliche  Formel  "  in 
Christo  Jesu  "  (i  892). 

^  Cf.  Robertson,  "  Grammar  of  the  Greek  New  Testament 
in  the  Light  of  Historical  Research,"  pp.  588  f 


THE  BRIEF  SALUTATION  43 

officers  of  the  saints  or  church,  though  they  occupy 
a  secondary  '  place  in  his  mind.  The  officers  are  im- 
portant, but  not  primary.  The  individual  saint  is 
primary.  Church  officers  are  made  out  of  saints. 
The  fundamental  reason  that  we  do  not  have  better 
preachers  (bishops)  and  deacons  is  that  they  come 
from  the  body  of  the  saints,  a  part  of  whom  they  still 
are.  Paul  does  not  draw  a  line  of  separation  between 
clergy  and  laity.  He  rather  emphasizes  the  bond 
of  union  by  the  use  of  "  together  with."  ^  To  be 
sure,  the  progress  and  usefulness  of  a  church  are 
largely  gauged  by  the  efficiency  of  the  officers. 
Like  priest  hke  people.  And  yet  the  other  side  is 
true  also.  Like  people  like  priest.  So  long  as  the 
saints  are  sound  at  heart  Christianity  will  outlive  the 
vagaries  and  follies  of  sporadic  preachers.  A  corrupt 
ministry  will  ruin  any  church  if  condoned.  Certainly 
preachers  and  deacons  are  not  free  from  the  respon- 
sibility for  sainthood  by  their  official  position. 
Noblesse  oblige.  Their  very  prominence  imposes 
higher  burdens.  Fundamentally  the  average  church 
member  has  precisely  the  same  obligations  and  limi- 

*  The  use  of  (juv  shows  this.  It  is  not  certain  whether  aov 
here  has  the  idea  of  "  plus  "  or  "  including  "  since  the  prepo- 
sition bears  either  connotation.  The  papyri  show  both  ideas 
(Moulton  and  Milligan,  "  Lexical  Notes  from  the  Papyri," 
Expositor,  Sept.,  191 1).  The  context  favours  the  idea  of 
"  including  "  here.  On  the  whole  Paul  uses  iisrd  much  more 
frequently  than  <yvv,  particularly  in  the  two  last  groups  of  his 
Epistles.     He  has  ^lerd  seven  and  auv  four  times  in  Philippians, 

^  auv. 


44  PAUL'S  JOY  IN  CHRIST 

tations  that  the  preacher  has,  but  practically  the 
preacher  and  deacon  cannot  escape  an  extra  respon- 
sibility because  of  their  leadership  (cf.  Jas.  3  :  i). 

We  are  confronted  here  with  the  whole  problem 
of  the  Christian  ministry  (its  origin,  character,  and 
functions).  Bishop  Lightfoot '  has  proven  that  in  the 
New  Testament  •'  bishop  "  and  "  elder "  are  used  in- 
terchangeably for  the  same  ofifice  as  in  Acts  20 :  17, 
28  ;  I  Timothy  3  :  1-7  and  5  :  17-19  ;  Titus  i  :  5-7  ; 
I  Peter  5:1-2.  See  also  Clement's  "  Epistle  to  the 
Corinthians,"  §42.  Lightfoot  translates  the  words  ^ 
in  Philippians  i  :  I  "  presbyters  and  deacons "  to 
make  it  plain  to  his  readers  that  Paul  is  not  using 
"  bishop  "  in  the  sense  of  Ignatius  in  the  second  cen- 
tury who  gives  a  threefold^  ministry,  "  the  bishop, 
presbyters,  deacons,"  and  insists  on  the  distinction. 
Ignatius  makes  the  bishop  supreme  and  the  embodi- 
ment of  ecclesiastical  authority.*  It  is  clear  that  in 
the  New  Testament  usage  the  Christian  ministry  is 
in  a  more  or  less  fluid  state  as  to  the  functions  of 
different  members.  General  terms  occur  in  i  Thes- 
salonians  5  :  12,  "  them  that  labour  among  you,  and 


'  Cf.  note  on  "  The  synonymns  bishop "  (eTrtVA-orr*?) 
and  "  presbyter  "  (jcptfr^uTspoq')  (Phil.,  pp.  95-99)  and  dis- 
sertation on  "The  Christian  Ministry"  (Phil.,  pp.  181- 
269)  and  Lightfoot's  "  Apostolic  Fathers  "  (Vols.  I,  II). 

^  Tu>  intakoTZip,  Tzpea^oripot^,  dia/zdvoc^.  Letter  to  Poly- 
carp  ^5  6. 

*  Cf".  Ep.  to  Smyrn.,  Ch.  VIII. 


THE  BRIEF  SALUTATION  45 

are  over  you  in  the  Lord,  and  admonish  you."'  In 
Hebrews  13:7,  17,  21,  we  find  "  your  leaders  "  com- 
mended to  their  memory,  obedience,  welcome.^ 
The  term  ♦*  elders  "  (presbyters)  first  appears  in  Acts 
1 1  :  30,  but  as  an  established  body  of  officers  who  are 
later  active  in  the  Jerusalem  conference  in  Acts  15. 
The  term  itself  is  very  old  in  an  official  sense  as  is 
shown  by  the  Septuagint  usage  which  merely  reflects 
the  older  Egyptian  custom  as  has  been  amply  shown 
by  Deissmann.'  The  "  elders  of  the  village "  were 
town  officers.  The  term  also  occurs  for  pagan 
priests.  The  technical  use  appears  in  the  inscriptions 
of  Asia  Minor.  Even  "  bishop  "  (^TrtV/coTro?)  appears 
in  "  the  technical  religious  diction  of  pre-Christian 
times  "  in  inscriptions  in  Rhodes,  curiously  enough 
along  with  "  scribes."  ^  Precisely  "  elder  "  means  an 
older  man  and  "  bishop  "  an  overseer,  but  when  both 
became  technical  terms  no  such  distinction  is  drawn. 
Kennedy  {m  loco)  suggests  that  "  elder "  applied 
more  to  status  and  "  bishop  "  \.o  function.  Vincent 
(Phil,  pp.  36-49)  argues  for  a  distinction  between 
"  bishop  "  and  "  elder,"  though  he  admits  the  vague- 


^  T6h<i  koTZimvra'i  iv  v(xTv  kai  T:poiaTa[iivuu<s  6[j.iuv  iv 
kopim/Zai  vouOsTouvrai}  ofidi}. 

^  Tu)v  rjyouijAviuv  (-oi?,  -ou?). 

'"Bible  Studies,"  pp.  154-157,  233-235.  We  can  no 
longer  follow  Cremer  in  speaking  of  iTrc'rrtf  ottm?  as  "  the  Greek 
coloured  designation"  and  izpeffiSure/iois  as  of  "  Jewish  col- 
ouring." 

*  Cf.  Deissmann,  "  Bible  Studies  "  /parxp.are'i'i,  pp.  230  f. 


46  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

ness  of  the  early  usage  and  renders  (p.  4)  "  with  the 
superintendents  and  ministers."  Here  at  Philippi  we 
meet  a  twofold  ministry,  though  the  definition  of 
neither  "  bishop  "  nor  "  deacon  "  is  given.  One  may 
note  also  that  use  of  the  plural  '•  bishops  "  is  like 
the  plurality  of  "  elders  "  found  at  Jerusalem  (Acts 
II  :  30)  and  Ephesus  (20 :  17,  28).  This  fact  shows 
clearly  that  "  bishop  "  is  not  here  used  in  the  later 
ecclesiastical  sense  of  Ignatius  when  one  bishop  is 
head  of  a  large  city  or  district  with  many  elders  and 
deacons  under  his  rule. 

The  term  deacon  is  of  obscure  etymology '  and  is 
a  general  term  for  one  who  serves.  It  is  common  in 
the  New  Testament  in  the  general  sense  of  servants 
of  God  or  Christ  (i  Cor.  3:  5  ;  2  Cor.  6:4).  It  is 
not  always  clear  when  the  word  has  a  technical  use 
in  the  New  Testament  or  precisely  what  the  ofifice  is 
meant  to  be.  The  papyri  and  inscriptions  show  the 
word  in  the  general  sense  and  for  religious  officials.^ 
It  is  probable,  though  not  certain,  that  deacons  in 
the  technical  sense  are  described  in  the  group  of 
seven   chosen   in   Acts    6:2-6   to  "serve   tables."^ 

^  Some  derive  dtdkovo^  from  dt-qfuo  or  dico/mj  (eager  pur- 
suit) and  others  even  from  dcd,  A:6vi<;  (dusty  with  running). 
Certainly  some  deacons  can  "  raise  a  dust  "  if  nothing  more. 

'^  Moulton  and  Milligan,  "  Vocabulary,"  quote  Magrr.  109 
circa  b.  c.  100,  where  dtduovixi  is  used  for  temple  officials, 
and  in  CIG  II,  1800,  a  "  college  "  oi  dtd/^ovni  is  mentioned, 
while  ibid.,  3037  we  see  two  (hd/ioyot,  and  a  female  8td/covng 
as  in  Rom.  16:  i.  See  further  Dibclius,  Phil.,  p.  45  in 
"  Handbuch  zum  N.  T."  ^  dia/2ovelv  Tpa7:it^aig. 


THE   BRIEF  SALUTATION  47 

The  qualifications  given  in  I  Timothy  3:8-13  are 
not  wholly  different  from  those  for  bishops  (i  Tim. 
3  :  1-7  ;  Titus  I  :  5-9).  Probably  it  cannot  be  shown 
beyond  controversy  that  in  the  beginning  the  bishops 
had  charge  of  the  spiritual  functions  and  the  deacons 
the  business  side  of  the  church  life.  There  were  at 
first  apostles,  prophets,  evangelists,  shepherds,  and 
teachers  "  for  the  perfecting  of  the  saints  "  (Eph. 
4:ilf.),  though  strangely  enough  Paul  does  not 
mention  bishops  and  deacons  in  this  list.  Both 
terms  are  Hkewise  absent  in  i  Corinthians  12:28: 
"  first  apostles,  secondly  prophets,  thirdly  teachers, 
then  miracles,  then  gifts  of  healings,  helps,  govern- 
ments, divers  kinds  of  tongues."  Some  have  thought 
to  sefe  "  bishops  "  in  "  governments  " '  and  "  dea- 
cons ['  in  "  helps,"  ^  In  "  The  Teaching  of  the  Twelve 
Apostles  "  the  primacy  still  belongs  to  the  apostles, 
prophets,  and  teachers  (XI.  4-7;  XIII.  3)  as  the 
spiritual  guides  of  the  churches,  while  bishops  and 
deacons^  are  local  officers  (XV.  i),  though  "  elders  " 
or  "  presbyters  "  are  not  mentioned.  One  may  note 
the  famous  discussion  on  the  Christian  ministry  in 
The  Expositor  for  1887,  which  was  participated  in  by 
W.  Sanday,  G.  Salmon,  C.  Gore,  G.  A.  Simcox, 
A.  Harnack,  J.  Rendel  Harris,  W.  Milligan,  J.  Mac- 
pherson.  The  lower  view  of  the  origin  of  bishops 
and  deacons  as  presidents  and  dispensers  of  the  ordi- 
nance of  the  Lord's  Supper  in  particular  is  advocated 


48  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

by  Rev.  H.  F.  Hamilton  in  "  The  People  of  God  " 
(191 2,  2  vols.).'  There  seems  little  doubt  that  the 
development  varied  in  different  regions.  Perhaps 
Ignatius  represents  one  line  of  development  while 
"  The  Teaching  of  the  Twelve  Apostles  "  shows  an- 
other. But  in  the  course  of  time  apostles,  prophets, 
and  teachers  disappeared  and  a  consequent  readjust- 
ment of  functions  followed.  The  growth  of  the  ad- 
ministrative bishop  was  certainly  later  than  the  New 
Testament  period,  as  Lightfoot  has  proven.  The 
modern  "  pastor  "  (shepherd)  2  of  the  flock  is  expected 
to  be  at  once  apostle  (missionary,^  or  one  sent  of  God), 
bishop  or  overseer,  shepherd  to  care  for  each  lamb 
in  the  flock,  herald^  or  preacher  to  proclaim  the 
message,  evangelist  (gospelizer  ^)  to  win  to  Christ, 
prophet^  or  for-speaker  for  God,  teacher^  to  instruct 
in  the  way  of  the  Lord,  deacon  (in  the  general  sense 
of  service)  at  the  call  of  one  and  all  in  the  com- 
munity, elder  or  guide  and  counsellor.  The  de- 
mands upon  the  "  bishops "  have  grown  with  the 
years,  while  those  upon  the  "  deacons  "  have  lessened 
by  comparison.  The  wise  pastor  seeks  to  throw 
some  of  his  burdens  upon  the  deacons  and  upon  the 
church  as  a  whole, 

'  See  his  theory  ably  reviewed  by  Rev.  Maurice  Jones  in 
The  Expositor,  August,  1916,  pp.  118-135.  See  the  other 
side  in  Loenning,  "  Genieindeverfassung  des  Urchristen.-ums," 
Theol.  Lit.,  1889,  coll.  418-429. 

^  Tzot/jLTJv.  ^  anoazoXtKi.  *  UTJfw^. 

^  evayyekiaTrj'i.  ^npoyrjrr^g.  ^  diddffkaXo<s. 


THE  BRIEF  SALUTATION  49 

8.  The  Fatherhood  of  God  and  the  Lordship  of 
Christ. 

This  is  Paul's  favourite  greeting '  as  it  appears  also 
in  I  and  2  Corinthians,  Galatians,  Romans,  and 
Ephesians,  and  in  slightly  modified  form  in  one  and 
2  Thessalonians,  Colossians,  I  Timothy,  Titus,  2  Tim- 
othy. There  seems  little  doubt  that  Paul  means  to 
place  Jesus  Christ  on  an  equality  with  God  the 
Father  in  spite  of  the  absence  here  of  the  application 
of  the  term  God  to  Jesus.  Paul  ascribes  divine  at- 
tributes to  Christ  in  Colossians  i  :  15-19,  and  is  cred- 
ited by  Luke  in  Acts  20  :  28  (true  text,  "  Church  of 
God  ")  with  applying  the  term  God  directly  to  Christ. 
According  to  the  probable  punctuation  in  Romans 
9 :  5  Paul  calls  Christ  God,  and  that  is  the  real  idea 
in  Titus  2:13.^  Besides,  in  Philippians  2:5-11, 
Paul  argues  on  the  basis  of  Christ's  being  "  in  the 
form  of  God  "  and  possessing  "  equality  with  God." 
In  Colossians  2  :  9  he  says  that  all  the  fullness  of  the 
Godhead  dwells  bodily  in  Jesus  Christ.  It  is  beside 
the  mark,  therefore,  for  Vincent  ("  Int.  Crit.  on 
Phil.,"  p.  5)  to  say :  "  The  fact  that  God  and  Christ 
appear  on  an  equality  in  the  salutation  cannot  be 
adduced  as  a  positive  proof  of  the  divine  nature  of 
Christ,  though  it  falls  in  with  Paul's  words  in  chap- 

^ ^dpi<i  v/jlTv  Jzdl  slpy^vfj  and  deou  narpog  ijfxcuv  fcai  ffupioo 
^IrjfTou  ypiGToo. 

^  See  margin  of  Am.  St.  Version  **  of  our  great  God  and 
Saviour  Jesus  Christ."  Cf.  Robertson,  "  Grammar  of  Greek 
New  Testament  in  Light  of  Historical  Research,"  p.  786. 


50  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

ter  2,  and  may  be  allowed  to  point  to  that  doctrine 
which  he  elsewhere  asserts.  We  cannot  be  too  care- 
ful to  distinguish  between  ideas  which  unconsciously 
underlie  particular  expressions,  and  the  same  ideas 
used  with  a  definite  and  conscious  dogmatic  purpose. 
This  Epistle  especially  has  suffered  from  the  over- 
looking of  this  distinction."  Per  contra^  the  almost 
unconscious  attribution  of  deity  to  Jesus  Christ  by 
Paul  so  often  and  in  so  many  ways  reveals  better 
than  anything  else  Paul's  attitude  of  mind  towards 
the  Person  of  Christ.  It  is  not  positive  proof  of  the 
deity  of  Christ  for  Paul  to  have  this  opinion,  to  be 
sure,  unless  one  is  willing  to  follow  Paul's  guidance 
in  the  matter,  but  the  repeated  implication  is  strong 
proof  of  Paul's  conception  of  Christ's  nature  and  re- 
lation to  God.  Certainly  Paul  is  not  meaning  to 
give  a  mere  Trinitarian  formula,  since  he  does  not 
mention  here  the  Holy  Spirit,  though  Rainy  ("  Ex- 
positor's Bible,"  Phil.,  p.  i6)  suggests  that  the  work 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  really  involved  in  the  grace  and 
peace  from  the  Father  and  the  Son.  Sometimes  at 
the  conclusion  of  the  letters  Paul  mentions  only  Jesus, 
as  in  2  Thessalonians  3  :  i8  ;  Galatians  6:  i8;  Philip- 
pians  4:23.  No  name  at  all  may  be  used  as  in 
Colossians  4:18  ("Grace  be  with  you");  Titus 
3:  15.  But  in  2  Corinthians  13:  13  we  have  the  full 
Trinity  named :  "  The  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  and  the  love  of  God,  and  the  communion  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  be  with  you  all." 


THE  BRIEF  SALUTATION  5 1 

The  term  "  Lord  "  '  is  common  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment (Septuagint)  for  God,  and  there  can  be  httle 
doubt  that  Paul  in  his  frequent  use  of  this  word 
means  to  affirm  the  essential  deity  of  Jesus  Christ. 
The  word  is  common  in  the  papyri  and  the  inscrip- 
tions for  the  Roman  emperors  who  claimed  divine 
attributes  and  accepted  worship.  But  Paul  was  not 
going  to  allow  this  pagan  usage  to  rob  him  of  the 
privilege  of  employing  this  noble  word  with  its  rich 
heritage.  Indeed,  it  is  quite  possible  that  Paul  made 
a  point  of  applying  "  Lord  "  to  Jesus  so  many  times 
for  the  very  reason  that  the  emperors  claimed  it  for 
themselves.  The  word  in  a  way  became  the  hall- 
mark of  Christianity  in  the  Roman  Empire.  The 
Christians  applied  it  to  Jesus,  the  heathen  to  Csesar. 
The  Gentile  Christians  who  once  said  "  Lord  Caesar  " 
now  learned  to  say  "  Lord  Jesus."  Hence  Paul  says 
(i  Cor.  12:  2  f.):  "Ye  know  that  when  ye  were 
Gentiles  ye  were  led  away  unto  those  dumb  idols, 
howsoever  ye  might  be  led.  Wherefore  I  make 
known  unto  you,  that  no  man  speaking  in  the  spirit 
of  God  saith,  Jesus  is  anathema^;  and  no  man  can 
say,  Jesus  is  Lord,^  but  in  the  Holy  Spirit."  During 
the  trial  of  Polycarp  he  was  urged  by  Herod  and 
Nicetes  to  say  the  words  "  Lord  Caesar  "  and  live : 
"  For  what  is  the  harm  in  saying  '  Lord  Caesar ' 
and    in    offering    sacrifices    and    doing    the    things 

*  fibpio<i.  ^  'AvdGefia  ^Irjtxou^. 

'  KOptOg  'I7](T0U^, 


52  PAUL'S  JOY  IN   CHRIST 

following  these  and  being  spared  ?  "  '  A  Phrygian 
Christian,  Cointus,  had  just  renounced  "  Jesus  as 
Lord "  and  said  "  Lord  Caesar "  and  was  spared. 
Polycarp  stoutly  refused  to  say  "  Lord  Caesar  "  when 
those  words  meant  the  renunciation  of  "  Lord  Jesus." 
He  said  in  defense,  "  I  am  a  Christian  "  ^  and  was 
burned  as  he  knevv^  he  would  be.  It  cost  something 
then  to  say  "  Lord  Jesus,"  and  Paul  was  right  in  say- 
ing that  no  one  could  say  these  words  (and  mean 
them)  except  in  the  Holy  Spirit.  These  three  words 
(Lord,  Jesus,  Christ)  present  the  various  aspects  of 
the  work  of  Jesus.  His  human  name  "  Jesus "  * 
means  "  saviour  of  his  people  from  sin  "  (Matt.  I  :  2i) 
and  the  glory  and  dignity  of  the  humanity  is  em- 
phasized in  Philippians  2  :  5-1 1  and  in  the  Epistle  to 
the  Hebrews  (in  particular  ch.  2).  He  is  the  new 
Joshua  of  the  people  of  God.  The  name  was  com- 
mon enough  among  the  Jews  as  Josephus  testifies 
and  the  papyri  also  show  it.  Christ  was  at  first 
merely  the  description  of  His  Messianic  mission, 
the  Hebrew  Messiah,^  the  Anointed  One.  In  the 
Gospels  we  usually  have  the  article  with  it,  the 
Anointed   One^  (the  Messiah)  as  in  Matthew  1:1/; 

'  Martyrdom  of  Polycarp,  VIII,  2.  rt  yap  nanov  iariv  eiTretv 
Kupw<5  Aalffap,  kai  iiziOuffui  /cat  ra  toutoc^  aR.6Xooda  Red 
biaaw'^zaOai.  '^  Ibid.,  X.     ^piaTtavd^  eipi. 

'  Ibid.,  V.      del  pe  Zu>vza  kauOi,vai.  *  ^l7jaou<i. 

^  ^pcarog. 

^  Meaaia^  is  transliteration  as  Christ  is  translation.  ^piffTo^ 
is  the  verbal  adjective  of  y(ptio  to  anoint. 


THE   BRIEF  SALUTATION  53 

16:  16.  But  its  use  as  a  title  or  mere  proper  name 
also  occurs  in  the  Gospels  (as  Matt.  I  :  I)  as  is  the 
rule  in  the  Epistles  and  Revelation.  In  Paul's  later 
Epistles  we  usually  have  "  Christ  Jesus  "  instead  of 
"  Jesus  Christ,"  a  still  further  development  in  the 
usage  (cf.  I  Tim.  i  :  1-2).  Thus  by  "  Lord  Jesus 
Christ "  Paul  really  presents  the  statement  that  Jesus 
is  a  real  man,  is  the  Jewish  Messiah  of  promise,  and 
is  divine,  Son  of  God  and  Son  of  man  (cf.  Luke  2  :  1 1 
"  the  Saviour,  who  is  Christ  the  Lord  ").  Paul  does 
not  explain  in  what  sense  he  uses  "  Father  "  as  ap- 
plied to  God,  whether  the  general  sense  in  which 
God  is  the  Father  of  all  men  who  are  His  offspring 
(Acts  17  :  26-29)  01"  tl^s  more  limited  sense  as  Father  of 
the  redeemed  (Rom.  8  :  14-16).  The  use  of  "  God  our 
Father  "  reminds  us  of  the  Lord's  Prayer  (Matt.  6  :  9). 

9.     Grace  and  Peace. 

It  has  already  been  noted  that  Paul  does  not  use 
the  common  word  for  greeting  so  abundant  in  the  let- 
ters in  the  papyri.  He  may  have  felt  that  it  was  "  too 
meagre  for  Christian  intercourse  "  (Kennedy,  in  loco). 
Grace  is  from  the  same  root '  as  the  other  word  for 
greeting.  Kennedy  calls  grace  Paul's  "  own  great 
watchword."  It  is  the  distinctive  word  for  the  new 
dispensation  as  John  has  it  in  his  Gospel  (i  :  17): 
"  For  the  law  was  given  through  Moses ;  grace  and 
truth  came  through  Jesus  Christ."     It  is  Paul's  word 

^  yap — root  of  both  yaipu)  {^yaipeiv)  and  ydpi^.  Our  word 
•*  grace  "  is  the  Latin  gratia. 


54  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

in  his  famous  antithesis  between  legaHsm  and  law, 
"justified  freely  by  his  grace"  (Rom.  3  :  24).  "  But 
if  it  is  by  grace,  it  is  no  more  of  works :  otherwise 
grace  is  no  more  grace  "  (Rom.  1 1  :  6).  The  word  is 
constantly  coming  from  Paul's  pen  and  is  akin  to  the 
word  for  joy/  as  has  just  been  shown.  It  is  used  for 
"  gift "  and  "  gratitude  "  and  "  charm  "  and  "  good- 
will" and  "  lovingkindness."  No  one  word  in  Eng- 
lish can  translate  its  wealth  of  meaning.  This  word, 
"  perhaps  above  all  others,  shows  the  powerful  re- 
moulding of  terms  by  Christian  thought  and  feeling  " 
(Kennedy,  in  loco).  It  lays  emphasis  on  ihe/reencss 
of  God's  lovingkindness  to  men  (Vincent,  m  loco).  It 
is  the  "  free  favour  "  of  God,  the  state  of  grace  (Rom. 
5  :  2)  and  the  power  from  that  state  (Eph.  4 :  7),  the 
overwhelming  richness  of  the  love  of  God  in  Christ 
Jesus,  which  Paul  wishes  for  the  saints  in  Philippi. 

The  other  word  "  peace "  '^  is  a  picture  of  "  the 
harmony  and  health  of  that  life  which  is  reconciled  to 
God  through  Jesus  Christ"  (Kennedy,  in  loco),  tliQ 
peace  which  follows  from  the  grace.  The  two  words 
thus  cover  the  whole  of  the  Christian  experience. 
This  word  "  peace  "  is  used  of  nations  and  of  indi- 
viduals and  implies  a  bond  that  is  made,  words  that 
are  spoken,  as  the  basis  on  which  peace  rests.  The 
Jews  said  "  shdlorn  "  (salaam,  Arabic  salam,  peace) 

"  Elp-j-^rj  may  be  either  from  s^.pto  to  join  or  elpto  to  say. 
Our  word  "  peace  "  is  the  Latin  pax  through  the  French  paix. 


THE  BRIEF  SALUTATION  55 

as  a  greeting.  The  angels  brought  a  message  of 
"  peace  "  to  men  of  good-will  in  their  song  of  greeting 
to  the  shepherds  (Luke  2  :  14).  It  is  the  Messianic 
greeting  to  those  who  welcome  the  preachers  of  Christ 
(Luke  10  :  5).  But  peace  in  the  Pauline  conception 
implies  reconciliation  with  God  in  Christ  (Vincent,  in 
loco).  It  is  the  tranquil  soul  at  peace  with  God.  God 
is  the  God  of  peace  (2  Cor.  13:  11;  Heb.  1 3 :  20). 
Jesus  gave  His  peace  as  a  blessing  to  the  disciples, 
His  parting  blessing  (John  14 :  27),  a  peace  which  the 
world  could  not  give.  Paul  has  this  same  idea  when 
he  speaks  (Phil.  4:7)  of  the  peace  that  passeth  all 
understanding.  But  let  no  one  imagine  that  Paul 
taught"  peace  at  any  price  "  either  with  man  or  devil. 
No  one  exhibits  the  spirit  of  courage  and  conflict 
more  than  Paul.  He  has  no  patience  with  cowardice 
in  preachers  (2  Tim.  i  :  7).  Christ  bade  His  disciples 
to  be  of  good  cheer  in  the  midst  of  tribulation,  for 
He  had  overcome  the  world  (John  16:  33).  Jesus 
offers  us  repose  in  the  midst  of  struggle.  God's 
peace  makes  us  independent  of  man's  petty  wars. 
Peace  is  not  the  greatest  good.  Righteousness  out- 
ranks peace.  "  First  pure,  then  peaceable "  (J as. 
3:17).  Only  those  who  "do  peace"  may  expect 
"  the  fruit  of  righteousness  "  which  is  sown  in  peace 
(J as.  3  :  18).  It  is  not  always  possible  to  live  at  peace 
with  men,  but  theresponsibiUty  for  breaking  the  peace 
should  rest  upon  others  (Rom.  12:  18).  But  peace  at 
the  price  of  the  triumph  of  evil  is  cowardly  sin. 


II 

JOY  IN  PRAYER 

(Philippians  1:3-11.) 

JOY  is  the  key-note  of  Philippians.  Here  we  see 
Paul's  joy  in  prayer.  It  is  a  noble  gift,  this 
exultation  and  exaltation  in  prayer.  The  men 
of  a  former  generation  spoke  of  "  Hberty  "  in  prayer. 
There  is  no  higher  spiritual  exercise  than  this  and  it 
comes  only  from  long  practice.  The  Philippians 
knew  of  this  trait  of  Paul,  for  in  prison  there  he  and 
Silas  "  were  praying  and  singing  hymns  unto  God  "  ^ 
(Acts  16:25).  Rainy  ("Expositor's  Bible")  calls 
this  prayer  "  The  Apostle's  Mind  about  the  Philip- 
pians." It  is  that,  but  it  is  his  mind  in  prayer,  a 
summary  of  his  constant  prayer  for  them,  the  deepest 
desires  of  his  heart  about  them,  the  highest  hopes  he 
has  for  them.  There  are  delightful  words  here  that 
linger  in  the  mind. 

I.     Memory  (verse  3). 

"  Upon  all  my  remembrance  of  you."  The  words 
could  mean  "  upon  all  your  remembrance  of  me," 
but  the  other  is  probably  the  idea.     It  cannot'  be 

'  7Tpnff£u-(6fi£vot  ufivouv  Tov  OsSv.  Almost  as  if  the  prayer 
was  a  song. 

^  Because  of  rd<T3j  rrj  fxveia  (the  article).  Cf.  Robertson, 
"  Grammar  of  the  Greek  New  Testament  in  the  Light  of 
Historical  Research,"  pp.  769  f. 

56 


JOY   IN   PRAYER  57 

"  upon  every  remembrance."  Paul  is  not  thinking  of 
isolated  memories  of  Philippi,  but  of  the  total  picture 
that  is  still  vivid  in  his  mind.  There  were  unpleas- 
ant memories  of  Philippi  if  he  cared  to  dwell  upon 
them,  the  rage  of  the  masters  of  the  poor  girl  whom 
Paul  set  free  and  the  conduct  of  the  magistrates  and 
the  populace  towards  Paul.  But  these  were  not  part 
of  the  flock  in  Philippi.  Even  there  Paul  knows  of 
unpleasantness  between  two  women  (Phil.  4 :  2  f.) 
and  of  others  who  seek  their  own  desires  (3  :  17). 
But  time  and  distance  mellow  one's  memories  in  a 
gracious  way,  particularly  in  the  case  of  an  old  pastor 
who  no  longer  feels  the  petty  irritations  that  once 
were  so  keen.  Fortunately  also  the  people  forget 
their  grudges  against  the  pastor,  now  that  he  is  gone. 
Paul  will  not  allow  specks  to  spoil  the  whole.  So  he 
meditates  upon  the  names  and  faces  of  the  saints  at 
Philippi  with  his  marvellous  faculty  for  recalling 
them,  happy  trait  for  any  preacher  who  can  thus 
bind  people  to  him.  Time  blurs  names  and  faces 
for  most  of  us,  but  Paul  has  zest  in  the  life  of  people. 
He  is  fond  of  folks  and  joys  in  them  through  the 
haze  of  the  past,  in  all  of  them.  Indeed,  it  almost 
sounds  as  if  Paul  did  nothing  else  but  dream  about 
the  Philippians,  "  always  in  every  supplication."  ' 
Memories  of  his  work  all  over  the  world  came  to 
him    often    in    moments    of    despair   and    of  cheer 

*  He    plays    upon  the  word  "  all  "  :  Tratriy,  ndwoTe,  izdarj, 
ndvTwv, 


58  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

(cf.  2  Cor.  ii).  These  hallowed  associations  with 
the  elect  of  earth  spur  one  on  to  fresh  endeavour. 
One  feeds  upon  rich  experiences  of  grace,  like  those 
at  Northfield,  and  can  go  in  the  strength  of  this 
meat  for  many  days. 

2.     Gratitude  (verse  3). 

Gratitude  springs  out  of  memory,  bubbling  up  like 
a  fountain.  His  feeling  of  gratitude'  rests  upon^ 
the  happy  and  holy  memories  of  his  days  with  the 
Philippians  and  their  kindness  to  him.  Paul  always 
has  something  to  thank  God  for  in  the  churches  to 
which  he  writes,  save  in  the  case  of  the  Galatians, 
whose  sudden  defection  shocked  him  severely.  Even 
in  Corinth  he  finds  much  to  praise.  Paul  is  a  man 
of  prayer  and  gratitude  to  God  is  an  essential  ele- 
ment in  real  prayer.  "  The  great  people  of  the  earth 
to-day  are  the  people  of  prayer.  The  greatest  force 
of  the  day  is  prayer  "  (Baskerville,  "  Sidelights  on  the 
Epistle  to  the  Philippians,"  p.  6).  But  nowhere  is 
Paul  in  more  grateful  mood  than  in  this  Epistle  of 
joy  and  suffering.  He  "  dwells  long  and  fondly  on 
the    subject "   (Lightfoot,   m    loco).     The    Western 

^  eu^aptffziu}  is  condemned  by  the  Atticists,  but  is  good 
Koine  and  occurs  in  the  papyri  (Deissmann,  "  Bible  Studies," 
p.  122)  and  from  Polybius  on.  The  vulgate  gr alias  ago  is  a 
good  deal  like  eu^dptaro^  (from  so  and  yapiZnjKii'). 

■^  tTTt' here  in  a  semi-local  (Ellicott)  or  ethico-local  (Ken- 
nedy) sense. 


JOY   IN   PRAYER  59 

text '  makes  Paul  emphatic  in  the  assertion  of  his 
gratitude,  suggesting  that  the  Phihppians  had  written 
Paul  a  letter  with  the  gifts  which  Epaphroditus 
brought.  Perhaps  also  they  may  have  imagined  a 
slight  lack  of  cordiality  on  Paul's  part  (Kennedy,  in 
loco),  because  some  time  had  elapsed  with  no  word 
of  appreciation  from  him.  But  the  sickness  of 
Epaphroditus  explains  his  delay  and  he  repeats  his 
gratitude  with  emphasis.  One  of  the  common  faults 
of  men  is  failure  to  express  gratitude  for  the  simple 
courtesies  and  favours  of  life.  It  costs  little  to  say 
"  Thank  you,"  and  this  word  smooths  out  many 
wrinkles  of  care.  Paul  certainly  had  not  meant  to 
be  derelict  in  this  grace  and  amply  atones  for  his 
apparent  neglect  by  this  beautiful  Epistle  which  is  a 
model  of  Christian  courtesy.  His  gratitude  is  in  no 
sense  the  Frenchman's  definition,  a  lively  sense  of 
favours  expected.  This  notion  is  repellent  to  Paul 
(Phil.  4:  17).  It  must  be  admitted  that  many  a  life 
is  embittered  by  lack  of  gratitude  and  appreciation 
on  the  part  of  those  who  matter  most. 

"  How  sharper  than  a  serpent's  tooth  it  is 
To  have  a  thankless  child." 

3.     Supplication  (verse  4). 

But  Paul  was  not  content  with  their  spiritual  state, 
many  as  were  the  grounds  of  thanksgiving.  A  holy 
discontent  and  high  ambition  for  them  led  him  to  pe- 
*  DEFG  defg  have  iycb  fiev. 


6o  PAUL'S  JOY  IN  CHRIST 

titionary'  prayer.  One  cannot  well  be  in  the  pres- 
ence of  God  without  a  sense  of  need.  The  words  in 
this  verse  can  be  variously  punctuated,  but  they  prob- 
ably go  together  as  a  single  thought  with  its  studied 
repetition  of  the  word  all  (Lightfoot,  iti  loco).  One's 
mood  in  prayer  varies  according  to  the  subject  of  the 
prayer.  Here  the  Apostle  prays  "  with  joy,"  ^  "  with 
a  sense  of  joy  "  (Moffatt).  This  note  is  the  under- 
tone of  the  whole  ^  Epistle  and  sounds  on  through 
Paul's  petition  for  them  which  partakes  of  the  nature 
of  a  spiritual  rhapsody.  Christians  often  show  emo- 
tion in  prayer.  Sometimes  uncontrolled  passion 
sweeps  them  away.  At  times  feeling  seems  to  be 
without  thought  and  merely  incoherent  ecstasy  or 
even  worked-up  artificiality  as  in  some  shouting,  the 
"  holy  laugh,"  the  "  holy  rollers  "  and  similar  per- 
formances. But  dead  formalism  has  little  right  to 
find  fault  with  such  excesses.  With  Paul  joyful 
prayer  is  the  normal  atmosphere  of  his  life  with  God. 
He  had  a  "  hallelujah  chorus  "  in  his  heart.  Christ 
to  Paul  was  the  spring  of  all  joy.  He  could  not  be  a 
pessimist.  He  was  not  a  blind  optimist.  Joy  is  not 
mere  excitement,  not  mere  noise,  but  serenity  of 
spirit  that  overcomes  circumstance.     His 

^  ^irjfTig  (twice  in  this  verse)  is,  like  enyapinria^  just  one 
aspect  of  7:f>()(7su/yj  (general  prayer)  addressed  only  to  God, 
though  di-^ffc?,  from  Sio/iac  to  need  or  to  beg,  is  to  God  or 
man. 

*  fisrd  yapa?, 

'  Summa  epistols  (Bengel). 


JOY   IN   PRAYER  6l 

**  buoyant  spirit  can  prevail 
Where  common  cheerfulness  would  fail." 

The  happiest  man  in  Rome  is  Paul  the  pris- 
oner for  Christ.  Joy  is  the  missing  note  in  many- 
lives  which  are  too  easily  upset  by  the  little  worries. 
The  little  foxes  eat  away  the  vines.  Christianity 
will  have  more  power  when  it  recovers  joyful  prayer, 
jubilant  praying,  mighty  wrestling  with  God.  Bas- 
kerville  justly  says  that  we  need  a  revival  in  our 
prayer-life ;  "  Prayer  may  well  be  regarded  as  the 
hne  of  communication  with  the  base  of  supplies." 
We  have  let  the  stream  get  choked  from  this  foun- 
tain of  hfe.  If  we  lay  hold  on  God  with  great 
energy,  we  shall  have  power  with  men. 

4.    Partnership  (verse  5). 

Partnership  is  one  of  the  grounds  *  of  Paul's 
thanksgiving  about  the  Philippians.  It  is  their  part- 
nership ^  or  fellowship  with  Paul  in  the  furtherance 
of  the  Gospel.^  The  specific  reference  is  to  the  con- 
tributions made  by  this  church  "  from  the  first  day 
until  now,"*  to  Thessalonica  and  to  Corinth  at  the 
very  start  of  the  church's  life  (Phil.  4:  15  f.).  At 
first  they  stood  alone  in  this  cordial  support  of  Paul's 

*  int. 

't^  aocvojvi'a  (3/iaii/ (subjective  genitive),  from  the  adjective 
/zotvog  (in  common).  The  word  novjiD^na  is  used  in  the 
papyri  of  the  marriage  contract  as  well  as  of  commercial  part- 
nership, a  iife-partnership  ^ioo  /ioivwvia. 

^  eig  TO  euayyiXiov.      Note  this  use  of  e;?. 

*  aizo  T/J9  TTpcuTTjis  r^[j.ipa<i  cl^pi  Tou  vuv. 


62  PAUL'S  JOY  IN  CHRIST 

missionary  labours,  though  others  later  followed  this 
noble  example  (2  Cor.  1 1  :  8).  The  Philippian 
church  was  thus  a  missionary  church  from  the  start. 
The  word  here  for  fellowship  means  cooperation  in 
the  largest  sense,  though  the  particular  application  is 
to  their  help  to  Paul  in  the  work.  James  and  John 
were  partners  *  with  Simon  in  the  fishing.  Titus  was 
Paul's  partner  (2  Cor.  8 :  23).  Paul  uses  this  word 
for  partnership  on  the  part  of  the  Philippians  in  the 
collection  for  the  poor  saints  in  Jerusalem  (2  Cor. 
8  : 4).  The  Philippians  gave  themselves  to  the  mis- 
sion cause  heart  and  soul  (Rainy,  in  loco).  Here 
was  one  church  to  which  Paul  could  always  turn, 
upon  whom  he  could  always  count  for  sympathy  and 
support.  It  is  just  the  lack  of  this  sense  of  fellowship 
and  of  responsibility  that  makes  so  many  Christians 
ineffective  and  useless  in  aggressive  work.  After 
Pentecost  the  Jerusalem  Christians  continued  stead- 
fastly in  this  fellowship  or  partnership  (Acts  2  :  42). 
This  mutual  bond  of  spiritual  commerce  should  bind 
together  with  hooks  of  steel  people  and  pastor  and 
make  the  church  glad  to  remunerate  properly  both 
pastor  and  missionary  (Gal.  6 :  6).  It  is  the  great 
distinction  of  the  Philippian  church  that  they  had 
enlightenment  enough  to  see  their  opportunity  as  co- 
workers with  Paul  in  the  greatest  enterprise  of  the 
ages.  They  were  only  too  glad  of  the  chance  of 
taking  stock  in  this  chief  business  of  the  world. 
^  koivwvoi  (Luke  5  :  10). 


JOY  IN  PRAYER  63 

Cooperation  is  still  the  great  demand  among 
modern  Christians.  Churches  so  often  leave  it  all 
for  the  pastor  to  do.  The  forces  of  righteousness  in 
our  cities  so  easily  disintegrate  and  fly  apart.  We 
have  a  common  salvation,  a  common  task,  a  common 
peril,  and  a  common  Captain  of  our  salvation.  When 
Christians,  with  frank  recognition  of  their  differences 
of  standpoint  and  convictions,  learn  to  pull  together 
in  all  common  interests  against  Satan,  we  shall  see 
the  beginning  of  the  end  of  his  dominion  among 
men.  But  we  have  not  even  learned  how  to  enlist 
all  those  in  one  denomination  in  any  common  cause. 

5.     Confidence  (verses  6  and  7). 

Paul's  state  of  confidence  *  grew  out  of  his  experi- 
ence with  God  and  his  knowledge  of  them.  Paul 
places  God  first  always.  God  began ^  a  good  work 
in  them,  took  the  initiative  as  He  always  does.  God 
will  also  perfect^  it,  carry  it  on  to  perfection,  will  not 
take  His  hand  from  the  task  till  the  day  of  Jesus 
Christ,  the  day  of  consummation.  God  "  will  go  on 
completing  it"  (Moffatt).  Paul  is  cheered  by  the 
hope  of  the  Parousia  or  Second  Coming  of  Christ, 
though  he  sets  no  day  for  it.  He  nowhere  says  that 
it  will  be  before  his  death,  and  in  this  very  Epistle 
he  faces  his  own  death  as  a  real  problem  (i  :  21  ff.). 
Paul  does,  hov/ever,  maintain  an  expectant  attitude 

*  i:£Tcoi0u)<s^  second  perfect  participle. 

'  6  ivap^dii£vo<s.  ^  inireXiaei  linear  fiiture. 


64  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

towards  the  return  of  Christ,  and  the  hope  has  a 
moulding  influence  on  his  Ufe.  It  is  a  pity  that  so 
many  modern  Christians  have  lost  any  real  joy  in  this 
blessed  hope  and  no  longer  look  for  the  coming  of 
Jesus  to  claim  His  own.  Some,  indeed,  go  to  the 
other  extreme  and  have  formal  programs  and  details 
and  even  dates  for  the  Parousia.  One  can  admire 
Paul's  sanity  and  balance  on  this  subject  as  on  all 
others  that  he  discusses.  He  counts  it  right'  to 
have  the  opinion  about  the  Philippians  that  he  cher- 
ishes. This  church  was  good  soil,  no  doubt,  and 
good  seed  was  sown  there,  and  good  cultivation  was 
kept  up  also.  But  the  reason  here  given  for  Paul's 
optimism  is  that  he  holds  them  in  his  heart.  Inter- 
estingly enough  the  phrase  in  the  Greek  ^  can  mean 
"  because  you  hold  me  in  your  heart."  Both  things 
are  true,  but  Paul  is  speaking  of  his  own  love  for  his 
children  in  the  Gospel.  He  was  bound  to  believe 
the  best  about  them.  He  has  the  shepherd  heart 
and  grounds  his  confidence  in  his  own  love  as  well 
as  in  God's  purposes  about  them.  The  Philippians 
have  shown  the  grace  of  continuance.  They  are  not 
quitters.  They  press  on  both  in  the  defense^  and  in 
the  confirmation  of  the  Gospel.  There  are  so  many 
unfinished  books,  pictures,  sculpture,  buildings.     It 

'  diKaiov  (justum,  Vg.).      Right  here,  not  righteous. 
*  dia    TO    k'^ety    fie   iv  rfj  /iapdia  u/j.(7^.      Here  fcapdia  in- 
cludes the  purposes  of  the  will  as  well  as  the  emotions. 
'  d-nokoyia  is  used  of  defense  in  a  judicial  action. 


JOY  IN   PRAYER  65 

is  a  joy  to  see  a  church  carry  a  thing  through  as  they 
are  doing.  This  is  Hke  God  whose  work  is  thorough 
(Baskerville).  Hence  Paul  is  proud  to  have  the 
PhiUppians  co-partners '  with  him  in  grace,  in  all  the 
rich  grace  in  Christ.  They  all  share  to  the  full  with^ 
Paul.  He  claims  no  clerical  grace  above  them. 
They  are  fellows  in  Christ  Jesus.  It  does  Paul  good 
to  brood  over  this  noble  band  of  brothers  linked  to- 
gether in  the  mystic  bond  of  love  for  God  and  man, 
linked  not  merely  in  idea  and  theory,  but  in  actual 
practice.  If  all  churches  of  Christ  lived  up  to  this 
ideal,  there  would  be  no  need  and  no  room  for  any 
other  brotherhoods,  much  good  as  many  of  them  do. 
The  church  would  fill  all  the  life  to  the  full. 

6.     Longing  (verse  8). 

Paul  uses  a  very  strong  word  ^  here,  a  word  of  in- 
tense feeling  and  yearning,  sometimes  transliterated 
as  pathos^  The  solemn  oath  here  adds  to  the  emo- 
tion. Paul  calls  God  to  witness  in  no  light  or  flip- 
pant way  (cf.  Rom.  l  :  9-1 1).  But  Paul  actually  says 
that  he  longs  after  them  in  the  tender  mercies  ^  of 

^  (TUV/201VIUV0U?  fjLdU  T^9  ^(Iptzog. 

^<70v.  ^  innzodS). 

*  We  cannot  press  the  force  of  the  compound  ir.i-  in  the 

^  GTzXayy^^a  is  used  for  the  nobler  viscera  (heart,  liver,  lungs, 
etc.),  as  opposed  to  the  hrs^a  (lower  intestines).  It  occurs 
in  the  papyri  in  sense  of  pity  v-kp  anXdyj^voo  "  for  pity's 
sake  "  (BQ  1 139'?,  V.  B.  C),  Moukon  and  MilHgan,  "  Lex- 
ical Notes  from  the  Papyri,"  Expositor,  June,  191 1. 


66  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

Jesus  Christ,  with  all  the  heart-hunger  of  Jesus  Him- 
self. The  ancient  Greeks  located  the  emotions  of 
love,  pity,  joy,  etc.,  in  the  "  stomach-brain,"  as  it  is 
sometimes  called.  This  word  is  used  about  Phile- 
mon, "my  very  heart"*  (Phile.  12).  Paul  longs 
for  the  Philippians,  not  only  with  the  best  of  his  own 
heart  but  in  mystic  union  with  Christ  with  the  very 
heart-throb  of  Jesus  Himself.  He  identifies  his  own 
heart-life  with  that  of  Christ.  Paul,  though  a  man 
of  tremendous  intellectual  power,  was  even  more  a 
man  of  heart.  He  was  a  spiritual  dynamo  for 
Christ,  a  sort  of  electric  battery,  charged  with  the 
love  of  Christ. 

7.     Discerning  Love  (verses  9-10*). 

Petition  (cf.  i  :  4)  is  now  the  form  of  Paul's  prayer, 
petition  closely  connected  with  the  gratitude  already 
so  richly  expressed.  Paul's  prayers  for  the  Chris- 
tians are  very  suggestive.  They  are  never  perfunc- 
tory but  always  pertinent  to  the  situation.  "  Prayer 
makes  the  preacher  a  heart-preacher.  Prayer  puts 
the  preacher's  heart  into  the  preacher's  sermon. 
Prayer  puts  the  preacher's  sermon  into  the  preacher's 
heart "  (Baskerville,  in  loco).  This  prayer  lias  the 
very  breath  of  heaven.     Paul  prays  for  the  overflow  ^ 

'  TO.  kixa  aTzXdy^va. 

'^  TzepiffffcuTj  (cf.  TzepcfTfTog  from  -rept).  In  ancient  Greek 
this  word  meant  to  remain  over.  It  is  common  in  the  Septua- 
gint.  Paul  uses  it  commonly  for  "  abound  "  (Vg,  here 
abundei).     Cf.  Thomas,  "  The  Prayers  of  St.  Paul." 


JOY   IN   PRAYER  67 

of  the  love '  of  the  Phihppians  for  one  another  and 
for  himself.  There  is  no  danger  of  an  excess.  There 
is  still  room,  "  yet  more  and  more,"  ^  Paul  pleads 
with  his  fondness  for  piling  up  adverbs.  Some 
coldly  critical  people  dislike  exuberance  in  Christian 
affection,  but  Paul  sets  no  limit'  to  the  development 
and  expression  of  love  except  "  in  knowledge  and 
all  discernment,"*  "  all  manner  of  insight  "  (Moffatt), 
a  very  important  qualification.  Love  must  not  be  a 
raging  flood  like  that  in  the  Miami  Valley  that  threat- 
ened the  very  existence  of  Dayton  and  other  cities. 
It  is  a  flood  of  love  that  Paul  prays  for  and  yet  a 
flood  within  the  bounds  of  good  sense  and  discretion. 
He  wishes  that  "  the  sensitiveness  of  touch  may  be 
added  to  love  "  (Kennedy,  in  loco).  There  should  be 
sense  in  love  and  not  bhnd  impulse.  Enthusiasm 
needs  common  sense  for  poise  and  guidance.  What 
we  call  common  sense  is  sense  about  common  things, 
and  is  itself  an  uncommon  quality.  The  flood  is 
good  if  we  know  how  to  use  it  or  to  ride  it.  Love 
grows  best  in  the  full  light  of  knowledge.^     Love  has 

'  d-YaTz-q  is  a  "  back-formation  "  from  ayandm.  There  is 
one  doubtful  example  of  dydnrj  in  a  Herculaneum  papyrus 
(i.  B.  C.)  81  a.[j\dr.rj<i  i.\yap'\Y<n)<{.  The  verb  dyaKdu)  in  the 
New  Testament  is  a  deeper  and  richer  word  than  (fiUoj  which 
is  more  human  (Moulton  and  Milligan,  "  Vocabulary  "). 

"^  ere  [idXlov  ka\  irnkko'^. 

^  Paul  here  uses  the  tense  for  durative  action  (j:spi<T(7si>i^. 

*  h  l-rayvd}(j£t.  fidi  r.da-^  aiffOyjffsc.  Vg.  has  in  scientia,  et  in 
omni  sensu, 

'"  Paul  is  fond  of  l-iziyv<uai<i  which  is  added  (£"£-)  knowledge. 


68  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

nothing  to  fear  from  the  light.  Suspicion  kills  love. 
"  Perfect  love  casts  out  fear"  (i  John  4:  18).  In- 
tense love  makes  people  hypersensitive  to  slights  and 
misunderstandings  unless  one  is  quick  to  apply  full 
knowledge  to  the  situation.  The  word  "  discern- 
ment "  ^  calls  for  the  practical  application  of  this 
spiritual  insight  and  sensitiveness.  This  word  de- 
notes the  fineness  of  spiritual  perception  that  comes 
from  alertness  and  practice.  Hippocrates,^  a  med- 
ical writer,  employs  the  verb  for  perception  with 
sight,  touch,  hearing,  the  nose,  the  tongue,  and 
knowledge.  The  word  suggests  the  nervous  organ- 
ism of  the  body,  all  the  avenues  of  approach  by  the 
senses  of  the  mind,  that  wonderful  sensitive  plate, 
more  delicate  than  any  seismograph  for  recording 
earthquake  shocks,  or  than  any  chemical  apparatus 
for  detecting  affinities  between  atoms,  or  than  any 
electrical  machinery  for  noting  the  behaviour  of 
electrons.  Wireless  telegraphy  requires  apparatus 
for  sending  and  receiving  the  sound-waves.  We 
give  various  names  to  this  ethical  sensitiveness  like 
tact,  spiritual  sensibility,  a  trained  conscience.     One 

See  its  intensive  force  in  i  Corinthians  13:12.  Cf.  Epictetus 
II,   20,  21   kruYvu>(Tt<s  T!^?  dXrjOsia^. 

'  actT0yj(Tt<}.  Here  only  in  the  New  Testament,  but  in 
Proverbs  1:4,  7,  22,  etc.  Cf".  elg  aiffOrjaiv  rou  Raftoib  in 
Epictetus  II,  18,  8.  In  Hebrews  5:14  note  aiffOrjTiijpia  for 
the  organs  of  moral  sense  (Lightfoot). 

^  De  Off.  Med.  3  (quoted  by  Kennedy,  in  loco)  a  kal  rrj  o<fn 
Rai  kai  tTj  6.iprj  Ra\  rfj  d/2oufj  /cat  rfj  pivi  fiat  zy  yXwaarj  kat 
T^  yvcufxT^k'ffTcv  alaOiOat. 


JOY   IN   PRAYER  69 

is  reminded  of  the  phrase  in  Hebrews  5  :  14  "  who  by 
reason  of  use  have  their  senses  exercised  to  discern 
good  and  evil,"  trained  hke  athletes  '  "  to  discriminate 
between  good  and  evil."  ^  Sin  blunts  the  moral  sense 
and  blurs  the  spiritual  vision  so  that  the  eyes  of  the 
heart  do  not  see  correctly.  Paul's  wish  about  the 
saints  at  Philippi  is  that  they  may  be  in  a  position^ 
where  they  can  "  approve  the  things  that  are  ex- 
cellent," ^  "  have  a  sense  of  what  is  vital "  (Moffatt). 
This  is  one  of  the  translations  of  this  expression  and 
probably  what  Paul  really  means  here.  But  the 
original  idea  is  "  to  test  the  things  that  differ."  The 
word  for  "  excellent "  ^  means  to  "  bear  apart "  either 
in  hostility  or  superiority.  By  comparison  or  ex- 
amination^ as  in  the  testing  of  metals  one  learns 
wherein  they  differ  and  which  is  superior  and  at  what 
points.  Thus  one  is  prepared  intelligently  to  ap- 
prove ''  the  excellent.  It  is  only  when  one  has  his 
ethical  sense  quickened  and  has  also  full  knowledge  of 
the  facts  that  he  is  able  to  render  a  sound  judgment  on 

'^yeyoixvaaiiha.      Perfect  tense,  state  of  readiness. 

^npo'i  diduptaiv  kaXoo  re  KaX  na/iou. 

^  d<i  TO  with  the  infinitive.  Probably  purpose  though  con- 
templated result  is  possible. 

*  doKaiidZ^tv  TOL  diacfipovra. 

^  dia<pipovTa  neuter  plural  participle  from  diatpipu), 

^  8of!ifidZeiv.  Very  common  in  this  sense  in  the  papyri. 
It  is  used  for  assaying  metals  as  in  Proverbs  8  :  10 ;   17:3. 

"^  The  papyri  have  this  sense  also.  Cf.  6\noTipio<i  oZv  Ral 
(TO  do/2ijj.d^£ig,  P.  Pap.  III.  41  (quoted  by  Moulton  and 
Milligan,  "  Vocabulary  "). 


70  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

matters  of  right  and  wrong.  When  the  ethical  sense 
is  dulled  by  misuse  or  blinded  by  misinformation  or 
prejudice,  its  decisions  cannot  be  trusted.  So  the 
good  is  the  enemy  of  the  best.  One  cannot  be  satis- 
fied with  what  is  "  good  enough  "  for  others.  Few 
things  are  more  needed  by  modern  Christians  than 
precisely  this  intelligent  moral  insight  mingled  with 
a  wealth  of  love.  It  is  needed  to  keep  us  from  failure 
to  see  sin.  We  need  it  to  help  us  to  see  spiritual 
opportunity  and  privilege.  We  need  it  to  enable  us 
to  see  what  things  are  relatively  the  most  important 
and  to  put  the  emphasis  in  the  right  place.  We  need 
it  to  keep  us  from  becoming  the  dupes  of  slick- 
tongued  adventurers  and  religious  mountebanks. 
We  need  it  to  shield  us  from  being  ourselves  the 
victims  of  religious  prejudice  and  narrowness.  It 
is  the  only  combination  that  insures  loyalty  to  truth 
with  progress  in  grace  and  service.  God  give  us  all 
discerning  love. 

8.     Fruit  (i  :  lob-ii). 

Paul  has  a  series  '  of  requests  in  this  prayer,  each  a 
link  in  the  chain.  He  prays  for  abounding  and  dis- 
cerning love,  that  the  Philippians  may  be  drawn  to 
the  highest  and  the  best,  that  in  ^  the  day  of  Christ 

'  (Va,  el(^  rd,  ha  (verses  9-11),  each  dependent  on  the 
other,  the  two  last  of  an  epexegetical  nature, 

^  ei's"  yj/jiifiav  A'ptffroT).  Literally  in  or  for  the  day  of  Christ, 
the  Parousia.  Cf.  Phil.  2  :  16;  Eph.  4  :  30 ;  2  Tim.  i  :  i  2. 
Vg.  has  in  diem  Christi. 


JOY   IN   PRAYER  7 I 

they  may  pass  under  the  eye  of  the  Judge  with  ap- 
proval. The  goal  of  Paul  in  his  work  is  the  Day  of 
Assizes  when  Jesus  comes  to  judge.  Then  he  wishes 
the  Philippians  to  be  sincere.'  The  old  etymology  ^ 
(T.  H.  Green  quoted  by  Kennedy,  in  loco)  defines  the 
word  as  "  perfect  openness  towards  God."  Plato 
uses  the  word  for  pure  intellect,  for  the  soul  purged 
from  sense.  Certainly  the  eye  of  Him  with  whom  we 
have  to  do  sees  us  as  we  are  (Heb.  4:12  f.).  He  is 
the  God  of  things  as  they  are.  But  Paul  prays 
also  that  the  Philippians  may  be  "  void  of  offence," 
a  possible  translation.  The  word  is  either  in- 
transitive as  in  Acts  24:16  and  means  "  not  stum- 
bling" or  transitive  as  in  I  Cor.  10 :  32  and  means 
"  not  causing  others  to  stumble."  Either  will  make 
good  sense  here,  for  Jesus  (cf.  Matt.  2$  :  31-46)  men- 
tions our  treatment  of  others  as  one  of  the  tests  of 
character  on  the  Judgment  Day.  But  Paul  is  not 
satisfied  with  a  negative  statement  of  ^goodness.  He 
adds  a  prayer  for  "  the  fruit  of  righteousness,"  "  that 
harvest  of  righteousness"  (Moffatt),  for  a  fulF  crop 
on  a  fruitful  tree  (cf.  Ps.   I  ;  Prov.  1 1  :  30).     In  the 

*  elh/cpivel?.     Unmixed,  pure,  unsullied.     Vg.  sinceri. 

*  From  kpivio  and  e'iXrj  (heat  of  sun)  tested  by  sunbeams  or 
e'lX-q  separated  into  ranks  is  very  doubtful.  The  word  is  com- 
mon enough,  though  the  etymology  is  unknown.  Cf.  i  Cor. 
5:8;  2  Cor.  I  ;  1 2  for  eiXikpivsia.  Light  would  be  in- 
visible apart  from  obstructions  against  which  it  strikes. 

■*  nenXTjpvjui'M^i.  Perfect  passive,  state  of  completion.  Note 
the  accusative  napizuv. 


72  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

Sermon  on  the  Mount  Jesus  gave  fruit  as  the  proof 
of  one's  sincerity  in  God's  service.  "  By  their  fruits 
ye  shall  know  them"  (Matt.  7:  16).  The  figure  is 
common  enough  in  all  ages.  Paul  adds  that  this 
fruit  of  righteousness  comes  only  through  Jesus 
Christ.'  The  Pharisees  did  not  possess  it  according 
to  the  indictment  of  Jesus  in  Matthew  6  and  23. 
Jesus  is  the  vine  on  which  this  fruit  grows  (cf.  John 
15  :  1-8).  Paul  closes  his  prayer  with  the  purpose 
of  this  glorious  fruitage,  "  unto  the  glory  and  praise 
of  God."  The  fruit  is  not  for  the  glory  of  the 
Philippians  nor  for  the  honour  of  Paul.  Redemp- 
tion has  its  origin  in  God  and  its  end  in  God.  "  For 
of  him,  and  through  him,  and  unto  him  are  all  things. 
To  him  be  the  glory  for  ever.  Amen "  (Rom. 
II  :  36).  The  word  for  glory  ^  originally  meant 
opinion.  But  in  the  Septuagint  it  is  used  for  the 
glory  of  the  Lord,  for  the  Shekinah.  This  is  the 
conception  here.  The  word  had  a  popular  sense  also 
like  our  glory .^  Paul  means  that  men  will  be  led  to 
praise  God  because  good  fruit  is  found  in  our  lives. 

'  rov  did  ''I-QfTou  Xpiffzoo.  Note  the  added  article  to  the 
attributive  clause. 

"^  do^a  from  dokiu). 

*  Cf.  du^a  tz6Xeu)<s  of  the  prytanis  in  P.  Oxy.  I.  41,  4 
(iii,  iv,  A.  D.)  quoted  by  Moulton  and  Milligan's  "  Vo- 
cabulary." 


Ill 

GOOD  OUT  OF  ILL 
(i  :  12-20) 


T 


■^HE  interpretation  of  Providence  is  not  al- 
ways easy  if  one  looks  at  the  whole  prob- 
lem. There  are  always  glib  interpreters, 
like  Job's  miserable  comforters,  who  know  how  to 
fit  the  cap  to  others  with  complete  satisfaction  to 
themselves.  Modern  science  has  thrown  the  chill  of 
doubt  over  many  of  those  who  find  refuge  in  the  love 
of  a  personal  God,  our  Heavenly  Father.  It  is  grim 
comfort  to  find  consolation  only  in  the  certain  opera- 
tion of  inexorable  law.  Our  problem  is  to  be  able 
to  see  the  hand  of  God  in  a  world  of  law  and  order 
when  things  go  against  us.  Paul  was  able  to  get 
sweet  out  of  bitter.  It  is  easier  to  see  the  good  after 
it  has  come  out  of  the  ill.  But  it  would  be  a  dreary 
world  if  one  could  not  believe  that  God  cares  for  His 
people  and  overrules  the  evils  of  life  for  the  progress 
of  man  and  of  men. 

I.    Progress  of  the  Gospel  (verse  12), 
It  is  possible  that  Epaphroditus  brought  a  letter  to 
Paul  from  the  Philippian  church  which  was  full  of 
concern  for  Paul's  welfare.     He  had  been  a  prisoner 

73 


74  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

for  some  years  now,  two  at  Caesarea  and  one  or  two 
in  Rome.  Kennedy  raises  the  question  whether 
Paul  may  not  have  been  by  this  time  transferred  from 
his  hired  lodging  (Acts  28  :  30)  to  the  castra pcrigrino- 
rum  where  provincial  prisoners  were  kept  in  military 
custody.  If  so,  the  Philippians  would  naturally  ex- 
pect Paul  to  have  a  harder  time  than  he  had  so  far 
experienced  in  Rome.  At  any  rate  Paul  is  anxious  * 
for  them  to  know  the  true  state  of  the  case  about  his 
affairs.*  Paul  tells  of  his  experiences  in  Rome  be- 
cause only  thus  can  he  relieve  their  anxiety.  There 
are  two  extremes  in  this  matter.  Some  men  talk 
too  much  about  themselves  and  some  do  it  too  little. 
The  use  of"  rather  "^  clearly  implies  that  the  Philip- 
pians had  expected  the  worst  for  Paul.  He  hastens 
to  tell  them  that  he  has  good  news,  not  bad  news, 
about  the  progress  of  the  Gospel  in  Rome.  The 
word  for  progress*  seems  to  mean  cutting  a  way 
ahead,  blazing  a  trail  before  an  army  to  come  after- 
wards.    The   pioneers,  like   Daniel  Boone  in  Ken- 

'  The  idiom  yv^uxj/zstv  dk  vixa<i  l3o6X(>[iac  occurs  only  here 
in  the  New  Testament,  but  is  like  Paul's  common  Oiho  with 
the  infinitive  (i  Cor.  10  :  i  ;  11:3;  Col.  2:1;  Rom. 
1:13).     It  is  a  common  epistolary  phrase  (Kennedy). 

^  rri  kar  i/ie.  This  use  of /^ard  is  almost  equivalent  to 
the  genitive  in  the  tor^rj.  Cf.  Kslker,  "  Ouestiones  de  clocu- 
tione  Polybiana,"  p.  282.     Cf.  Eph.  6:21;  Col.  4:  7. 

^  fidXXov.  Comparative  without  standard  of  comparison  as 
in  Phil.  2  :  26  ;  i  Cor.  7  :  38  ;  2  Cor.  7:7;  Rom.  15  :  15. 
"  Really  tended  to  advance  the  Gospel  "  (MofFatt). 

*  Tzpokor.r^.  Cf.  I  :  25  ;  I  Tim.  4:15.  Common  in  the 
later  Greek.     From  npoRuTzru),  to  cut  forward. 


GOOD   OUT   OF   ILL  75 

tucky,  blazed  the  path  for  civilization  and  Christian- 
ity. In  the  Stoic  philosophy  (Zeller,  "  Stoics,"  p. 
294)  the  word  is  used  for  progress  tovv'ards  wisdom. 
Paul  uses  it  for  the  progress  of  a  young  minister  in 
culture  and  power  (i  Tim.  4  :  15).  So  then  the  op- 
position to  Paul  in  Rome  has  kicked  the  Gospel  up- 
stairs. The  Jews  from  Asia  did  not  stop  the  onward 
march  of  the  Gospel  when  they  raised  their  hue  and 
cry  in  the  temple  in  Jerusalem,  The  hand  of  God 
was  with  Paul  when  he  was  at  the  mercy  of  the  mob 
and  before  the  Sanhedrin.  Even  Felix  and  Festus 
did  not  stay  God's  arm.  In  spite  of  shipwreck  and 
delay  on  the  part  of  Nero  work  has  gone  on.  Paul 
had  not  courted  imprisonment,  but  he  does  not  fret 
unduly  because  of  his  chain.  This  very  chain  has 
been  used  of  God  to  spread  the  Gospel. 

2.     Sermons  in  Bonds  (verse  13). 

The  precise  way  in  which  good  has  come  out  of 
ill  Paul  goes  on  to  show  in  an  explanatory  clause  of 
result.'  Paul's  bonds  ^  are  literal  bonds,  for  he  was 
constantly  chained  to  a  Roman  soldier  (cf.  Acts 
28  :  20).  He  probably  means  to  say  that  his  bonds 
have   become   manifest   in   Christ.^     It  has  become 

*  mart — ysviadat  nai — roXpidv.  Cf.  Robertson,  "  Grammar 
of  the  Greek  New  Testament  in  the  Light  of  Historical  Re- 
search," pp.  999  f. 

"^  deaiiov^'.  deffpid  (cf.  Luke  8  :  29)  is  more  common,  but 
no  real  distinction  is  traceable. 

^  iv  Xpiarip  yeviadat.  Position  is  ambiguous,  but  Vg.  has 
manifesta  fierent  in  Christo. 


76  PAUL'S  JOY  IN  CHRIST 

plain  that  he  is  a  prisoner  for  no  crime,  but  solely  for 
Christ's  sake,  so  that  Paul  can  properly  call  himself 
"  the  prisoner  of  Christ  "  '  (Eph.  3  :  i).  This  fact  at- 
tracted attention  to  Christ  and  gave  Paul  a  fresh  op- 
portunity to  preach  Christ  to  those  interested.  Paul 
is  never  ashamed  of  Christ.  He  is  not  ashamed  of 
his  bonds.  They  become  a  badge  of  honour  for  they 
come  to  preach  Christ  to  all  who  see  them  and  who 
know  why  he  wears  them.  In  particular  Paul  has  a 
fresh  opportunity  each  day  with  the  guard  to  whom 
he  is  chained.  The  soldiers  relieved  each  other.  He 
not  only  talks  to  this  guard  about  his  armour  (cf. 
Eph.  6 :  10-20)  and  his  service,  but  he  tells  him  of 
Jesus.  By  this  means  alone  the  knowledge  of  Jesus 
would  be  conveyed  to  many.  But  Paul  insists  that 
the  Gospel  by  means  of  his  bonds  has  become  known 
"  throughout  the  whole  praetorian  guard."  ^  The 
expression  is  ambiguous  in  the  Greek  and  can  be 
interpreted  in  four  different  ways.  It  may  mean  the 
ten  thousand  picked  soldiers  who  formed  this  notable 
guard.  It  may  be  the  barracks  where  the  guard 
were  stationed  in  Rome.  It  may  refer  to  the  impe- 
rial palace  as  it  is  used  of  the  governor's  palace  in  the 
provinces  (cf.  Matt.  27:27;  John  18:28,  33).  It 
may  refer  to  the  judicial  authorities  of  the  imperial 
court.  There  seems  to  be  no  way  of  determining 
the  matter  finally,  for  good  arguments  are  adduced 

'  6   difffllOii  TOU    XptfTTUO. 

'iv  uXu}  T(p  rrpautopioj.      Vg.  has  in  omni  pratorio. 


GOOD  OUT  OF  ILL  77 

for  each  meaning.*  We  know  that  there  were  con- 
verts in  Caesar's  household  (Phil.  4 :  22),  though  this 
fact  does  not  prove  that  Paul  himself  had  access  to 
the  emperor's  palace.  There  were  Jews  connected 
with  the  household  of  Nero  (his  wife  Poppaea,  for 
instance).  The  Christians  there  probably  were  slaves 
or  other  menials.  It  is  possible  that  Paul  was  re- 
moved to  the  prsetorian  camp  {castra  prcstoriana) 
and  thus  had  ready  access  to  the  whole  guard.  But 
if  not,  he  was  still  able  slowly  to  spread  the  knowl- 
edge of  Jesus  through  this  famous  band  of  soldiers. 
He  would  probably  make  visits  to  the  camp  with  his 
guard  who  went  with  him  from  his  lodging.  In  a 
way,  therefore,  Paul  became  the  friend  and  chaplain 
of  these  soldiers.  Mithraism  was  already  beginning 
to  get  a  powerful  hold  upon  the  Roman  soldiers  ^ 
and  Paul  would  not  be  slow  to  seize  the  opportunity 
to  counteract  this  influence  and  to  tell  the  men  about 
Jesus.  The  Roman  soldier  probably  took  kindly  to 
Paul  (cf,  the  centurion  Julius  in  Acts  27 :  3  who 
treated  Paul  "  kindly  "  ^).  Certainly  Paul  had  a  manly 
message  to  present.  He  is  manifestly  proud  of  the 
fact  that  he  has  set  all  the  praetorian  guard,  almost 
the  flower  of  the  Roman  army,  to  thinking  and 
to  talking  about  Jesus.  Preaching  to  soldiers  has 
always  appealed  to  strong  preachers.^     The  shadow 

^  See  Kennedy,  in  loco. 

'  Cf.  Kennedy,  "  St.  Paul  and  the  Mystery-Religions." 

*  Cf.  Broadus  in  Lee's  Army  (Robertson,  "  Life  and  Letters 


78  PAUL'S  JOY  IN  CHRIST 

of  death  in  the  battle  of  to-morrow  brings  the  mes- 
sage close  home  to  strong  men's  hearts.  One  is 
able  to  preach  as  a  "  dying  man  to  dying  men." 
Whether  Paul  was  able  to  address  the  soldiers  in 
large  companies  in  formal  sermons  we  do  not  know, 
but  he  was  able  to  make  skillful  use  of  conversation. 
These  rough  and  ready  men  of  affairs  saw  the  steady 
joy  of  Paul  the  prisoner.  They  watched  him  day  by 
day  and  his  buoyant  optimism  caught  their  fancy. 
Jesus  is  the  secret  of  Paul's  life  of  joy.  Thus  the 
contagion  of  Paul's  love  for  Jesus  spread  to  "  all  the 
rest,"  whether  to  soldiers,  or  to  people  in  Rome  it  -s 
not  clear.  He  had  spoken  to  the  Jews  we  kn^\v 
(Acts  28  :  17,  23).  There  was  much  in  the  soldier's 
life  that  appealed  to  Paul's  heroic  nature  and  he 
drew  frequent  illustrations  from  the  life  of  the  soldier. 

3.    Spurring  Others  to  Action  (verse  14). 

This  is  the  second  result  of  Paul's  imprisonment  in 
Rome.  There  are  always  timid  souls  who  lose  heart 
in  times  of  persecution.  Some  even  go  to  the  extent 
of  apostasy  when  the  cause  seems  lost.  The  early 
Christian  centuries  furnish  examples  of  those  who 
renounced  Christ  for  Caesar  under  the  pressure  of  the 
Roman  state  (cf.  i  Cor.  12:1-3).  Paul  had  long 
foreseen  the  coming  conflict  between  Christianity 
and   the    Man   of  Sin  or  Lawlessness  embodied  in 

of  John  A.  Broadus,"  pp.  198-209  ;  Jones,  "Christ  in  the 
Camp,"  pp.  312-326)  ;  and  the  opportunity  during  the  Great 
War. 


GOOD   OUT  OF   ILL  79 

the  Roman  Empire  (2  Thess.  2:3-12).  Here  in 
Rome  itself  that  dark  shadow  loomed  blacker  than 
ever  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  Nero  had  not  yet  come 
out  openly  against  Christianity.  The  faint-hearted 
in  Rome  knew  the  power  of  the  state.  Paul  was  a 
prisoner  and  the  outcome  was  uncertain.  These 
fearful  saints  would  take  no  chances.  There  was  a 
minority  of  the  brethren  in  Rome  who  exercised 
extra  caution  because  of  Paul's  activity  for  Christ. 
They  wished  no  responsibihty  for  his  conduct  if 
things  went  against  him.  There  are  always  these 
shirkers  who  practise  absenteeism  from  church  in 
times  of  struggle,  these  cowards  in  a  crisis  who  shnk 
away  till  danger  is  past.  They  come  in  for  the 
shouting  after  victory  is  won.  In  case  of  disaster 
they  are  ready  to  say :  "  We  told  you  so."  But 
"  the  most  of  the  brethren  "  '  constituted  that  inner 
circle  of  the  brotherhood  that  does  and  dares  things 
for  Christ  while  the  rest  hang  back.  Paul  was  lucky 
to  have  won  a  majority  to  this  scale  of  activity.  It 
is  usually  the  minority  of  Christians  who  put  energy 
into  the  work  while  the  majority  drift  along  or  criti- 
cize what  the  minority  do.  The  papyri  ^  give  plenty 
of  examples  of  "  brothers  "  in  the  sense  of  "  fellows  " 

*  roug  nXetova?  ruJv  adelcpwv.  The  comparative  can  thus 
be  translated.     Cf.  Robertson,  "  Grammar,"  p.  668. 

^  Thus  a  town  clerk  calls  another  d(?£/l^«9,  P.  Tebt.  I. 
12  (b.  c.  118),  members  of  a  burial  club  are  so  termed  in  P. 
Tor.  I,  I.  »•  20  (ii.  B.  c).  See  Moulton  and  Milligan's  "  Vo- 
cabulary "  for  others. 


8o  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

in  service  or  members  of  guilds  or  brotherhoods. 
Paul's  courage  and  contagious  enthusiasm  had 
shamed  many  into  action  who  had  at  first  held  back 
through  fear  or  indifference.  These  gain  confidence 
in  the  Lord,  which  is  the  probable  *  translation  rather 
than  "brethren  in  the  Lord."  This  confidence  in  the 
Lord  is  caused  by  Paul's  bonds.^  Paul's  chain  re- 
buked their  lethargy  and  cowardice  and  stirred  the 
conscience  so  that  they  are  now  "  bold  to  speak  the 
word  of  God  without  fear." '  Manifestly  they  had 
been  afraid  to  open  their  mouths  for  a  while  till  they 
saw  how  brave  Paul  was  in  spite  of  his  bondage  and 
impending  trial.  Some,  never  eloquent  before,  now 
find  tongues  of  angels  as  they  catch  the  spirit  of  Paul. 
The  bolder  spirits  are  rendered  "  more  abundantly  * 
bold  "  than  they  were  before.  These  cast  caution  to 
the  winds  and  are  overwhelmingly  daring  in  their 
championship  of  Jesus.  They  speak  "  the  mes- 
sage of  God,"  Paul's  phrase  here  for  preaching  and 
telling  the  story  of  the  gospel  of  grace.  There 
are  always  in  a  crisis  some  choice  spirits  ready  to 
die  for  Christ  like  the  ten  thousand  native  Chinese 
Christians  who  at  the  time  of  the  Boxer  movement 
died  rather  than  renounce  Jesus.     Fortitude  is  con- 

'  iv  fiuptu)  irsTTtdiHTai;,  Cf.  Phil.  2  :  24 ;  Gal.  5  :  lo; 
2  Thess.  3  :  4.  The  order  here  is  different,  but  that  is  not  a 
material  point. 

*  Tin<i  d£)T/i(Hi}  fiou.     Instrumental  case. 

'  ToXfldv   TOV   XoyOV  TOU   0£UU   difOiiiWi. 

*  TtEfjtcrffoTipcug. 


GOOD  OUT  OF  ILL  8 1 

tagious,  Paul's  courage  was  like  that  of  a  brave 
general  leading  his  troops.  There  is  nothing  that 
will  quicken  a  dying  church  into  life  like  courage  on 
the  part  of  the  leaders.  Prophets  to-day  have  to 
call  to  the  dry  bones  to  live.  Paul  waked  up  the 
church  in  Rome  by  going  ahead  in  spite  of  his  limi- 
tations and  doing  his  duty  boldly  as  opportunity 
came  to  him.  It  is  a  great  achievement  to  revive  a  " 
dead  church.  There  are  plenty  of  them  dead  or 
dying  or  asleep.  Much  of  the  pastor's  energy  is 
required  to  keep  his  church  awake  or  to  wake  it  up. 
It  is  not  enough  to  galvanize  a  corpse.  Life  must 
come  back  into  the  body.  This  is  no  artificial  or 
mechanical  process.  Paul  did  his  own  part  heroically. 
That  is  the  way  to  wake  up  our  churches.  Let  each 
one  lay  hold  of  his  own  task.  That  is  better  than  con- 
ventions or  conferences  or  resolutions.  Life  is  more 
contagious  than  death.  Life  can  put  death  to  flight 
if  it  is  given  a  fair  chance,  "  And  he  hath  put  a 
new  song  in  my  mouth,  even  praise  unto  our  God ; 
many  shall  see  it,  and  fear,  and  shall  trust  in  the 
Lord  "  (Ps.  40  :  3). 

4.    Preaching  Christ  from  Envy  of  Paul  (verses 

iS^^"  17)- 

But   Paul   had  no  bed  of  roses   in  Rome.     The 
minority   furnished   plenty   of  thorns    for   his    side.      ^ 
Some  *  of  these  were  provoked  by  Paul's  activity,  it 

'  Tcve<i  fi£v.     He  does  not  define  them. 


82  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

is  true,  to  preach '  Christ,  but  they  did  it  "  even  of 
envy  and  strife,"  ^  pitiful  enough  motives  for  Chris- 
tian zeal.  Envy  ^  is  a  powerful  motive  in  human 
life.  It  played  its  part  in  the  trial  and  death  of  Jesus 
(Matt.  27:  18).  There  is  a  personal  side  to  this 
preaching  which  is  as  much  against  Paul  as  in  favour 
of  Christ  (cf.  Eph.  2 : 4).  Kennedy  pleads  for 
•'  rivalry  "  *  rather  than  "  strife  "  in  this  passage  and 
the  word  often  has  this  sense.  Envy  and  rivalry 
often  lead  to  open  strife.  We  do  not,  indeed,  know 
to  what  class  of  teachers  Paul  refers.  It  may  be 
some  of  the  old  teachers  of  the  church  in  Rome  who 
do  not  relish  Paul's  leadership  since  it  displaces  them, 
a  form  of  jealousy  that  one  sees  only  too  often.  In 
that  case  their  fresh  activity  would  be  with  a  view  to 
regaining  their  former  prestige  and  influence  and 
partly  by  depreciating  Paul.^  If  it  was  not  personal 
pique  that  stirred  these  men,  they  may  have  been 
Jewish  Christians  who  disliked  the  note  of  universality 
in  Paul's  message  and  feared  that  he  did  not  suffi- 
ciently guard  the  interests  of  Judaism.*'  It  may  have 
been  the  Judaizers,  Paul's  old  enemies  who  did  him 
such  harm  in  Jerusalem  and  Galatia  and  Corinth. 
This  is  the  usual  view  since  Bengel,  but  it  is  open  to 

'  kr]po(T(Tou(nv  to  herald  Christ. 
*  rcai  dia  ipOuvov  ka\  e'ptv. 

'Philemon,  a  comic  poet   of  b.   c.  330,  says:    Trokkd  /le 
dt8dirkEt<;  a(p66vu>(;  dia  (pOovov.  *  For  epiv. 

^  Cf.  Weiss,  "Am.  Journal  of  Theology,"  i.  2,  pp.  388-389. 
•^  Cf.  McGifFert,  "  Apostolic  Age,"  pp.  393-395. 


GOOD   OUT   OF   ILL  83 

the  objection  that  Paul  here  apparently  condones 
their  preaching.  That,  however,  is  not  quite  true,  as 
we  shall  see.  We  do  not,  indeed,  know  that  the 
Judaizers  had  reached  Rome,  though  there  is  no  in- 
herent difficulty  in  that  supposition.  As  a  matter  of 
fact,  it  is  quite  likely  that  all  of  these  elements  enter 
into  the  situation,  for  Paul  expressly  says  that  these 
men  proclaimed  *  Christ  from  mixed  motives,  "  not 
sincerely."  ^  In  fact,  they  preach  from  a  partisan  ^ 
or  selfish  motive  (cf.  Gal.  5  :  20).  It  was  primarily 
"  labour  for  hire"  (cf.  Job  2:11)  and  the  word  was 
applied  to  those  in  official  position  who  looked  after 
their  own  selfish  interests  rather  than  the  common 
good.  Kennedy  argues  for  "  selfishness "  as  the 
meaning  here.  But,  in  any  case,  these  selfish  parti- 
sans cared  as  much  for  giving  trouble  to  Paul  as  for 
preaching  Christ.  They  thought  *  that  they  were  stir- 
ring up  tribulation'  for  Paul  by  making  his  chains  gall 
him  (Lightfoot).  They  found  added  zest  in  the 
thought  that  the  growth  of  their  peculiar  type  of 
Christian  doctrine  would  irritate  ("  annoy,"  Moffatt) 
Paul.  One  must  confess  that  some  Christians  seem 
to  enjoy  sticking  pins  in  the  preacher.     It  is  possible 

'  KaraYyiXXoufnv.  A  rather  more  formal  word  than  kripixjaui 
above. 

'^  ob^  dyvajg.  Cf.  2  Cor.  II  :  13,  20  for  the  charge  of 
insincerity.     So  also  in  Gal.  6:22. 

*The  word  Iptdia  is  from  epiOo?,  a  hired  servant. 

*o}6pLevot.     Planning  and  thinking  it  out. 

^  dXiil'iv  kyeipeiv.     As  if  from  the  dead. 


84  PAUL'S   JOY   IN   CHRIST 

for  one  to  be  more  of  a  denominationalist  than  a 
Christian,  to  care  more  for  the  progress  of  one's 
special  views  than  for  the  kingdom  of  God.  There 
are  ministers  with  small  jealousies  who  wreck 
churches  like  a  tornado  with  their  winds  of  doctrine. 
Paul's  very  success  makes  these  men  in  Rome  jealous 
and  resentful  and  determined  to  nag  him  if  they  can- 
not stop  his  onward  march.  These  men  feel  that 
they  are  entitled  to  success  as  much  as  men  less  able 
who  get  ahead  of  them.  So  the  destructive  spirit 
eats  its  way  into  their  hearts  and  lives.  It  was  a 
pity  that  this  spirit  should  burst  forth  against  Paul 
in  Rome  at  the  time  of  the  crisis  in  his  imprison- 
ment. But  at  such  a  time  small  men  feel  like  taking 
advantage  of  such  a  situation  and  they  strike  Paul 
when  he  is  a  prisoner.  Wolves  turn  and  rend  one 
of  their  own  pack  who  falls  in  the  fight.  It  is  a 
small  thing  to  try  to  undermine  another  preacher's 
power.  One  may  wonder  that  God  should  bless  at 
all  the  message  of  men  with  such  a  spirit.  But  after 
all  we  should  be  glad  that  our  own  wrong  motives  do 
not  wholly  hinder  the  reception  of  whatever  truth  is 
preached  to  men.  The  power  is  from  God  and  not 
from  the  preacher,  in  God's  message  and  not  in  the 
preacher's  heart. 

5.    Preaching  Christ  from  Love  of  Paul  (verses 
IS."  16). 

There  is  action  and  reaction  in  all  things.     The 


GOOD   OUT  OF  ILL  85 

factious  opposition  of  the  minority  stimulated  the 
majority  to  increased  efforts  out  of  love  for  Paul. 
They  do  it  out  of  good-will '  as  well  as  love.  There  is 
this  good  that  comes  out  of  a  church  dissension.  Some 
sluggish  souls  wake  up  and  begin  to  take  an  interest 
in  the  affairs  of  the  kingdom  who  had  not  done  so 
before  the  disagreement  arose.  There  is  this  conso- 
lation to  be  found  in  the  midst  of  the  bitter  strife  of 
the  ages  among  various  Christian  sects  which  have 
often  caused  sadness.  We  can  excuse  much  even 
of  rancour  in  theological  debates  and  wranglings  over 
minor  points  because  of  the  obvious  sincerity  and 
conviction  of  the  disputants.  We  may  rejoice  in  the 
larger  spirit  of  charity  now  in  the  world  with  the 
hope  for  its  increase  provided  the  result  is  not  a 
spineless  uniformity  without  point  or  pith.  Love 
calls  for  no  sacrifice  of  principle.  Love  and  good- 
will moved  the  majority  to  stand  valiantly  by  the 
side  of  Paul  in  his  exposition  of  spiritual  Christianity. 
One  can  be  a  conscientious  denominationalist  to-day 
and  full  of  love  and  the  spirit  of  cooperation  in  all 
wise  and  proper  ways.  These  men  are  active  be- 
cause of  2  good-will  to  Paul,  and  their  zeal  springs 

^  81  ebdokiav.  This  word  ffrom  tu  and  dokiui)  is  used  either 
for  desire  (Rom.  10:  i)  or  satisfaction  (2  Thess  i  :  11)  as  in 
the  Father's  good  pleasure  in  Jesus  (Matt.  3  :  17).  The  best 
manuscripts  here  in  verse  16  give  the  order  in  the  Revised 
Version  which  is  a  chiasm  or  cross  reference  to  verse  15. 
Cf.  Robertson,  "  Grammar  of  the  Greek  N.  T.,"  p.  1 200. 


86  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

out  of  ^  love.  Some  even  love  Paul  for  the  enemies 
that  he  has  made,  even  among  Christians,  but  most 
love  him  for  his  great  achievements  in  Christ.  When 
Paul  is  thus  under  attack  in  Rome,  the  faithful  rally 
round  him  as  the  disciples  did  in  a  circle  ^  at  Lystra. 
The  recognize  ^  Paul  as  "  set  for  the  defence  of  the 
Gospel,"  *  They  rejoice  in  his  courage  in  chains 
and  take  his  view  of  his  situation.  His  defence  is  an 
apology  in  the  original  force  of  the  word  (cf.  i  :  7). 
Paul  is  a  living  apologetic  for  Christ,  a  typical  ex- 
ample of  the  word^  in  Jude  3.  To  desert  Paul  at  this 
juncture  is  to  desert  Christ.  The  cause  of  Christ  is 
here  identified  with  the  cause  of  Paul,  its  leading  ex- 
ponent. The  cause  is  crystallized  in  the  man.  One 
cannot  stand  by  Christ  in  theory  and  leave  Paul  in 
the  lurch  in  practice.  Alas,  so  often  church  mem- 
bers fail  to  rally  to  the  support  of  the  pastor  or  of  the 
denominational  servants.  They  are  willing  to  give 
up  the  preacher  to  save  the  cause  as  Caiaphas  pro- 
posed about  Jesus  in  John  1 1  :  50,  voluntary  offering 
of  some  one  else  as  a  sacrifice.  Sometimes,  to  be 
sure,  the  minister  is  at  fault  and  has  to  go  for  the 
good  of  all  concerned.  Christianity  is  incarnated  in 
men  and  women.  This  fact  gives  dignity  to  the 
Christian's  task,  but  it  makes  it  imperative  that  one 
'  i$.  ^  kurcXwadvrtuv  tu>v  fiaOrjTwv  (Acts  14  :  2o). 

*  el?   dnoXnyiav   too   eoayyeXinu  /zel/iai.      The  word  kelfJ-at 
(positus  sum,  Vg.)  means  continued  state  like  perfect  of  rt'tfiy/xt. 

*  inayujvU^eaOai.     To  contend  steadfastly. 


GOOD   OUT  OF   ILL  87 

shall  be  really  doing  the  work  of  Christ  if  people  are 
to  suffer  with  him  for  Christ's  sake.  Else  the  very- 
love  of  the  people  for  the  man  and  minister  may 
lead  many  into  the  pit.  The  words  of  Jesus  here  are 
final :  "  Inasmuch  as  ye  did  it  unto  one  of  the  least 
of  these  my  brethren,  ye  did  it  unto  me — Inasmuch 
as  ye  did  it  not  unto  one  of  these  least,  ye  did  it  not 
unto  me  "  (Matt.  25  :  40,  45). 

\-   6.    Paul's  Conquering  Joy  (verse  18). 

Nowhere  does  Paul  appear  to  better  advantage 
than  in  this  verse.  He  faces  frankly  the  limitations 
of  ministers  and  men  in  the  service  of  Christ,  limita- 
tions in  preacher  and  hearer.  What  is  to  be  the 
attitude  of  the  preacher  towards  other  preachers  who 
do  not  see  things  as  he  does  in  all  points  of  Christian 
doctrine  ?  This  is  a  practical  question  and  one  that 
men  must  answer  to-day.  People  are  often  diligent 
to  stir  up  jealousy  between  preachers.  The  effort 
was  made  to  make  John  the  Baptist  jealous  of  Jesus, 
but  it  failed  miserably  *  (John  3  :  22-29).  There  is  joy 
enough  for  all  the  workers  in  the  kingdom,  the  one  who 
sows  and  the  one  who  reaps  (John  4 :  36-38).  People 
criticize  the  preachers  in  the  most  inconsistent  ways 
and  it  is  hopeless  to  try  to  please  them  all.  They 
found  fault  with  John  and  with  Jesus  for  directly 
opposite  things  (Luke  7:  31-34).^     It  has  been  ob- 

*  Cf.  Robertson,  "John  the  Loyal,"  pp.  165  ff. 
^  Ibid.,  pp.  243  fF, 


88  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

jected  here  that  Paul  seems  to  condone  the  errors 
of  the  Judaizers  which  he  had  so  severely  criticized 
in  2  Corinthians  10-13  and  in  Galatians.  But  this 
estimate  fails  to  understand  Paul's  spirit  here.  He 
speaks  out  in  Rome  with  the  same  courage  and 
clearness  as  heretofore.  He  abates  no  whit  his  own 
convictions.  But  the  issue  before  Paul  is  simply 
whether  or  not  he  is  to  spend  his  time  railing  at 
preachers  who  have  the  same  right  to  preach  as  he 
has  and  give  ground  for  charges  of  pique  and 
jealousy  besides  filling  the  ears  of  the  Roman  sol- 
diers with  stories  of  the  shortcomings  of  these  en- 
vious preachers.  He  could  have  done  that  and  angels 
would  have  wept  and  the  ungodly  would  have  sneered 
at  this  exhibition  of  so-called  Christian  love.  Jeal- 
ousy had  found  a  place  even  in  the  ranks  of  the 
twelve  apostles.  Paul  rises  to  the  high  plane  of  con- 
quering j*oy  in  Christ.  "  What  then  ?  "  '  The  an- 
swer of  Paul  is  "  only  that,"  ^  <«  in  every  way "  ^ 
or  in  any  event  "  Christ  is  preached."  ^  This  is 
what  matters  most.  One  must  learn  to  see 
things  as  they  are  and  to  find  the  consolation 
in  the  big  truths  of  life  in  spite  of  the  minor 
drawbacks.     The  alternative  here  between  pretense  ^ 

'  T£  ydf}.      A  common  classical  idiom.      Cf.  Rom.  3  :  3. 

*  TT^v  on.      Undoubtedly  the  correct  text. 
^  Travri  rpo-uj. 

*  XptaTu^  RaraYyO.XeTai.      Linear  present. 

*  TTfxxpdiTsc.      Our  word  "  prophecy."      It  is  the  thing  set 
forth,  the  alleged  or  face  value  of  a  statement,  whether  true  or 


GOOD   OUT   OF  ILL  89 

and  truth '  is  a  very  common  one.  Some  men 
were  using  the  name  of  Christ  as  a  cover  or  mask 
for  personal  and  selfish  ends  (Vincent,  in  loco). 
We  are  shocked  at  that  statement,  and  yet  we  may 
also  thank  God  that  He  can  use  such  poor  preach- 
ing for  His  glory.  God  can  even  bless  insincere 
preaching.  Even  hypocritical  preaching,  alas,  can 
be  blessed  of  God.  Somehow  God  blesses  the  grain 
of  truth  that  is  mixed  in  with  error  and  bad  motives. 
He  places  no  premium  upon  error  or  upon  pretense. 
But  Paul's  problem  is  one  of  personal  adjustment.  Is 
he  to  embitter  his  own  heart  because  all  preachers 
of  Christ  are  not  pure  ?  Far  from  it.  He  the  rather 
seizes  upon  the  salient  point  in  the  situation.  Christ 
is  preached.  This  is  what  matters  most.  Other  things 
are  important  in  varying  degrees,  but  this  is  primal. 
Paul  knows  how  to  put  first  things  first  and  to  keep 
them  there.  So  he  takes  his  stand.  "  And  therein  I 
rejoice,  yea,  and  will  rejoice."  ^  He  does  not  rejoice 
in  false  preaching,  but  in  the  fact  that  even  in  such 
preaching  Christ  is  found  by  souls  that  hunger  after 
Him.     Surely  we  can  all  rejoice  that  God  does  bless 

false.  Here  the  contrast  with  truth  shows  the  meaning  to  be 
pretext  or  pretense.      Cf.  i  Thess.  2:5. 

^  aXriOsia.  The  word  means  openness  {p.  privative  and 
kavddvu}  to  conceal,  unconcealed),  the  very  opposite  of  deceit. 

^  fiai  Iv  ToOroj  ^acpu)  aXXa  izai  ^ap-q<TO!J.ai.  Note  the 
affirmative  use  of  aUA  here  (Robertson,  "  Grammar  of  the 
Greek  N.  T.  in  the  Light  of  Hist.  Research,"  p.  1185). 
Note  also  the  volitive  linear  future  ^apjau[ia(..  Robertson, 
ibid.,  p.  889. 


90  PAUL'S  JOY  IN  CHRIST 

indifferent  preaching.  Over  and  above  all  the  clangour 
of  contending  voices  in  modern  Christendom  rises  the 
fact  of  Christ.  It  is  Jesus  that  saves  men  from  their 
sins.  This  is  the  universal  note  in  the  eternal  Christ. 
We  look  at  Him  from  different  angles  and  with  im- 
perfect eyes  and  we  tell  what  we  see  in  broken  speech, 
sometimes  incoherent  and  contradictory.  But,  if  by 
means  of  it,  men  see  Jesus,  it  is  worth  while. 

7.    Christ  Magnified  in  Paul  (verses  19  and  20). 

Paul  now  turns  to  his  own  case  and  declares  that 
it  matters  little  what  happens  to  him  in  Rome.  Al- 
ready the  imprisonment,  as  he  has  shown,  has  turned 
out  for  the  progress  of  the  Gospel.  He  is  grateful 
for  their  prayers  ("  your  supplication  ")  and  "  for  the 
supply'  of  the  spirit  of  Jesus  Christ"  (both  source 
and  gift).  Paul's  attitude  is  measured  by^  the  earnest 
expectation^  and  hope  that  Christ  shall  be  magnified* 
now  as  always  in  his  body.  Whether  this  is  by  life  or 
death  is  not  material.  If  Christ  is  made  great  in  the 
hearts  and  eyes  of  men  it  is  a  small  matter  what  hap- 

'  intyopriyiai;.  A  word  used  for  the  chorus  leader  who 
furnished  entertainments  for  the  chorus.  Then  for  '•  supply  '* 
in  general.  Cf.  2  Pet.  1:5,  ii.  The  verb  iTzc^ofirjyiiu 
occurs  in  the  papyri. 

'^  /card. 

^  a-KoKapadokiav.  A  very  strong  and  striking  word  (cf. 
Rom.  8:19)  used  for  intent  watching  with  head  bent  or 
stretched  in  that  direction.  It  occurs  in  the  papyri  of  the  ex- 
pectation of  peasants  about  the  visit  (jzapouaia)  of  a  high  official. 

*  (leyaXw/OTJaerai.       Made  great. 


GOOD   OUT   OF   ILL  91 

pens  to  Paul.  Then  he  shall  not  be  put  to  shame* 
in  anything.  Hence  Paul  knows  ^  that  his  present 
troubles  will  turn  out^  at  last  for  his  eternal  salva- 
tion,* not  merely  rescue  from  imprisonment,  for  it 
applies  (verse  20)  both  to  death  and  life.  He  will 
get  the  spiritual  development  that  God  means  for 
him  to  receive  from  his  imprisonment  and  from  the 
personal  antagonisms  in  Rome.  It  is  all  one  to  Paul 
what  the  future  holds  in  store  for  him  on  earth.  He 
is  sure  of  the  prayers  of  the  Philippians  and  of  the 
presence  of  the  Spirit  of  Jesus  and  of  the  triumph 
of  Jesus  in  his  work  whether  by  life  or  death.  So 
he  faces  the  future  with  calmness  whatever  doubt  as 
to  the  course  of  events  may  exist.  As  to  that  Paul 
is  not  sure  of  his  own  mind  as  he  now  proceeds  to 
show. 

*  alff)^ovdTJffoiiai.  2  olda.     Intuitional  conviction. 

^  d7zoj3yj<TeTac.     Go  ofF  at  last  in  this  direction. 

*  ffujTrjpiav. 


IV 

JOY  IN  DEATH  AS  WELL  AS  IN  LIFE 
(I  :  21-30) 

PAUL'S  indifference  about  his  personal  incon- 
veniences and  his  confidence  that  Christ  will 
be  magnified  in  his  body  whether  by  life  or 
by  death  (i  :  20)  raise  the  whole  question  of  what 
life  is  and  what  death  is.  Every  one  has  to  face  this 
problem  sooner  or  later.  He  must  have  his  philosophy 
of  life.  The  Stoics  preached  apathy  as  the  triumph 
of  the  reason  over  the  passions.  But  that  cold  and 
colourless  creed  is  not  for  Paul's  warm  heart.  He 
gives  us  in  this  paragraph  his  conception  of  real  life, 
the  life  worth  while.  Kabisch,'  it  is  true,  affirms  that 
with  Paul  life  is  simply  existence  and  has  no  ethical 
quality,  an  inadequate  interpretation  of  Paul's  view  in 
my  opinion,  though  in  verse  20  the  contrast  is  be- 
tween the  present  life  and  death.^  He  argues  from 
this  basis.^ 

I.    The  Gain  of  Death  (verse  21). 

Life  has  different  senses  and  different  standards. 

'  *•  Eschatologie  des  Paulus,"  p.  134. 
*  Cf.  Kennedy,  in  loco.  ^  yap  in  verse  21. 

92 


JOY   IN   DEATH  AS  WELL  AS   IN   LIFE       93 

Paul  here  announces  the  principle  of  life '  so  far  as  he 
is  concerned.  The  personal  pronoun  has  the  em- 
phatic place  in  the  sentence.^  It  means  more  than 
in  my  opinion,  but  in  my  case,  in  my  realization  of 
life^  (EUicott,  in  loco).  This  is  what  life  means  to 
me,  whatever  it  means  to  others.  With  many  life 
means  pleasure,  sensual  indulgence,  money,  power, 
having  one's  way,  flattery.  But  with  Paul  the  regu- 
lative principle  of  life  is  Christ.  Jesus  had  said  that 
He  was  the  life^  (John  1 1  :  25  ;  14  :  6)  as  well  as  the 
resurrection,  the  way,  the  truth.  Jesus  is  the  source 
of  power  in  life  in  the  cosmic  sense  of  energy,  in  the 
moral  sense  of  truth,  in  the  practical  sense  of  guide, 
and  is  the  origin  of  spiritual  vitality.  So  Basker- 
ville  ("  Sidelights  on  Philippians,"  p.  25)  says  that 
*'  Christ  Jesus  must  be  the  origin  of  life,  the  essence 
of  life,  the  model  of  life,  the  aim  of  life,  the  solace 
of  life,  the  reward  of  life."  In  Colossians  3  : 4,  Paul 
speaks  of "  Christ  our  Life."  ^  But  what  Paul  here 
affirms  is  not  "  Christ  is  life,"  but  "  living  is  Christ, 
and  dying  is  gain."  ^  Paul  does  say  in  Galatians 
2  :  20:  "It  is  no  longer  I  that  live,  but  Christ  liveth 
in  me." '     Christ  has  taken   possession  of  Paul  so 

'  TO  Zrjv,  not  TO  /Stouv  (manner  of  life).  Elsewhere  Paul 
has  Tu  C^y  for  the  process  of  life  (verse  22  ;  Rom.  8:12; 
2  Cor.  I  :  8).  ^'Efi<n  yap  ru  Zr^v  Xptaro^. 

^  The  ethical  dative.  *  >y  C^i"?. 

^  Xpt(Tro<s  rj  f^u)yj  7jiJ.W'^. 

^  This  is  plain  from  the  use  of  the  article  with  the  infinitive 
and  its  absence  with  XpitrTo^  and  fiipdo<i. 


94  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

completely  that  Paul  has  lost  his  autonomy  and  will- 
ful independence  of  Christ.  He  is  the  glad  slave  of 
Christ.  He  "  is  crucified  with  Christ  "  '  in  spiritual 
identity.  This  is  mysticism,  but  reality,  the  deepest 
reality  of  life  for  Paul,  who  has  been  initiated  into 
the  mystery  of  Christ  (Col.  2  :  2).  So  then  Paul  is 
able  to  say  that  life  with  him  has  come  to  mean  Christ, 
no  less  and  no  more.  "  To  go  on  living "  ^  means 
more  of  Christ,  living  the  "  Christ  life "  in  the  real 
sense  of  that  term.  BengeF  has  interpreted  Paul 
thus  :  "  Whatever  I  live,  I  live  Christ."  I  live  only 
to  serve  Christ  and  have  no  conception  of  life  apart 
from  Christ  (Lightfoot).  Christ  occupies  the  whole 
of  my  life.  I  have  no  secrets  apart  from  Him.  I 
have  no  locked  doors  to  keep  Him  out  of  any  part 
of  my  life.  Christ  has  full  possession  of  myself. 
Paul's  life  is  not  on  the  bulk-head  principle  (Hutton). 
In  a  word,  Paul  leads  a  surrendered  life  and  finds 
the  utmost  peace  and  power  in  it.  It  is  the  victo- 
rious life  in  the  truest  sense.  Mere  existence  is  not 
real  life  for  Paul.  He  is  not  just  marking  time. 
Christ  covers  the  entire  horizon  for  Paul,  the  whole 
circumference  of  his  interests.  Christ  fills  all  of 
Paul's  eye.  Christ  is  his  all  and  in  all.  But  then 
what  about  death  ?  Simply  more  of  Christ.  That 
is  all.    "  To  die  is  gain."    The  word  here  for  " gain"* 

*  XpiffTuj  (TuvstTTahfiwtxat. 

"^  TO  Cv''  Tpresent  and  durative). 

*  Quicquid  vivo,  Christum  vivo.  *  Kip8o^, 


JOY   IN   DEATH   AS   WELL  AS   IN   LIFE       95 

is  used  for  interest,  gains,  profits.  All  that  death ' 
can  do  for  Paul  is  to  give  him  more  of  Christ.  It  will 
be  like  cashing  in  the  principal  and  the  interest.  Then 
he  will  gain  all  of  Christ.  It  is  this  idea  that  he  has 
in  mind  in  Philippians  3  :  8  when  he  speaks  of  "  gain- 
ing Christ."  ^  Paul  feels  like  an  eagle  in  a  cage. 
Death  will  be  his  liberation  from  the  limitations 
of  the  flesh.  Death  has  no  terrors  for  Paul  (cf.  Heb. 
2  :  15).  He  looks  upon  death  as  a  friend  in  disguise, 
the  door  to  complete  and  glorious  union  with  Christ. 
So  then  Paul  is  ready  for  death,  but  is  not  dissatisfied 
with  Hfe  here. 

2.    The  Quandary  About  Life  (verses  21-24). 

Paul  faces  life  or  death  with  equanimity.  He  is 
ready  for  either.  He  has  shown  that  for  him  death 
means  fuller  and  richer  hfe  in  gaining  Christ.  But 
he  is  not  discontented  to  live  on  in  the  flesh  if  that  is 
the  will  of  God,  He  adds  "  in  the  flesh  "  here  be- 
cause he  has  used  "  life "  about  death.  Lightfoot 
quotes  "  the  sublime  guess  "  of  Euripides  :  ^  "  Who 
knows  if  living  is  indeed  dying,  while  dying  is  liv- 
ing." The  comic  poets  ridiculed  this  saying  of 
Euripides,  but  Christians  have  found  it  to  be  the 
truth  in  Christ.  Verse  22  is  capable  of  several  trans- 
lations.    The  most  natural  one  is  this  :  "  But  if  life 

^  TO  drnOavelv  here  is  the  act  of  dying  (aorist),  not  the 
process  (present).  ^  Zva  Xpibrov  KepSi^aw. 

^  Ti<i  dldsv  e\  to  ^rjv  [liv  iffTv  Kaxdavt'iv  to  KorOavtlv  de  ^rjv. 


96  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

in  the  flesh  (be  my  lot),  this '  (means)  for  me  fruit 
of  work."  la  this  translation,  the  copula  has  to  be 
supplied  in  both  clauses ;  but  this  is  no  more  difficult 
than  to  repeat  the  "  if"  with  a  dash  after  "  flesh  "  or 
to  make  a  question  out  of  the  first  clause.^  He  is 
sure  that  if  he  is  to  live  on  in  the  flesh,  it  means  that 
Christ  has  "  fruit  of  work "  ^  for  him,  a  beautiful 
phrase.  Hence  he  does  not  complain  in  spite  of  the 
attractiveness  of  death  for  him  with  the  glory  of 
Jesus  beckoning  him  on.  So  Paul  goes  on :  "  And 
(in  that  case,  fruit  of  work  in  life  in  the  flesh)  what  I 
shall  choose  I  know  not."  *  There  would  be  not  a 
moment's  hesitation  with  Paul  if  it  were  clear  to  him 
that  his  work  was  done.  Just  to  eke  out  a  useless 
existence  has  no  charm  for  him.  He  does  not  wish 
to  be  like  a  fruit  tree  that  no  longer  bears  and  only 
cumbers  the  ground.  He  has  no  desire  to  be  laid  on 
the  shelf,  to  be  past  the  dead-line  in  the  ministry. 
Paul  had  no  friends  to  take  care  of  his  old  age.  One 
of  the  saddest  of  all  spectacles  is  the  sight  of  an  old 
minister  whom  no  one  wishes  to  hear  preach  and  who 
is  no  longer  able  to  support  himself.'     So  then  Paul 

'  -oorn  here  then  refers  to  ro  ^t^v. 

^  See  Kennedy,  Lightfoot,  Vincent. 

^ /cap7ru<i    epyoo.      The    very    phrase     occurs    in    Ps.     103 

(104)-  13-  _ 

*  A'ui  zi  atnyjfT(>ij.at  ou  yvMpi'^w. 

^  It  is  gratifying  to  note  the  efforts  in  the  United  States  to 

raise  adequate  endowment  funds  to  care  for  the  aged  servants 

of  Christ  who  need  help.     They  should  be  pensioned  like  old 

soldiers. 


JOY   IN   DEATH   AS  WELL  AS   IN   LIFE       97 

declines  to  commit  himself  in  case  there  is  still  work 
for  him  to  do.  "  I  do  not  say."  '  But  Paul  has  no 
hesitation  in  declaring  his  personal  preference  for 
death  since  that  means  the  riches  in  Christ.  But  it 
seems  clear  to  him  that  there  is  work  for  him  yet  and 
so  he  is  "  in  a  strait  betwixt  the  two,"  ^  life  and  death. 
Once  elsewhere  (2  Cor.  5  :  14)  Paul  uses  this  verb  of 
the  love  of  Christ  that  "  constrains  "  him,  holds  him 
together.  He  is  in  a  vise  between  these  two  con- 
ceptions. He  is  caught  on  the  two  horns  of  this 
dilemma.  He  has  "  the  desire,"  the  real  longing  of 
his  soul,  "  to  depart  and  be  with  Christ,"  to  loosen 
his  ship  from  her  moorings  and  put  out  to  sea  on 
"  the  Great  Adventure "  of  death  which  fascinates 
Paul,  not  by  its  uncertainty,  but  by  the  certainty  of 
being  with  Jesus.  He  is  not  abashed  by  the  thought 
that  no  traveller  has  ever  returned  from  the  other 
shore.  He  does  not  wish  to  return,  but  to  go  and  to 
stay  with  Jesus.  That  will  be  glory  for  Paul.  One 
may  note  here  that  Paul  speaks  as  if  he  expected  to 
be  with  Jesus  at  death  without  an  interval.  The 
word  "  depart "  ^  was  variously  used,  for  a  ship's  de- 
parture, for  breaking  up  camp,  and  for  death.     Paul 

^  00  yvtopiZu).  The  ancient  meaning  was  I  do  not  perceive, 
but  in  the  New  Testament  it  is  as  above  (declare  or  say).  In 
the  papyri  it  is  common  in  the  sense  of  "  recognize "  or 
"  identify."     (Cf.  Moulton  and  Milligan,  "  Vocabulary,"  etc.) 

^  (juviy^0[iai  8k  iA:  riuv  dun. 

^  avaXbaai  (loosen  up).  The  intransitive  sense  of  depart  is 
common  in  Polybius  and  the  papyri  (Moulton  and  Milligan, 
"  Vocabulary,"  etc.). 


98  PAUL'S  JOY  IN  CHRIST 

himself  uses  a  similar  word '  for  death  under  the  figure 
of  breaking  up  camp  or  striking  a  tent  (2  Cor.  5  :  i). 
And  in  2  Tim.  4:  6  he  speaks  of  his  own  death  again 
with  the  same  word  ^  as  here.  Paul  is  willing  to  make 
an  end  of  his  tent  life  in  the  flesh,  a  stranger  and  a 
pilgrim  on  the  earth  like  Abraham  (Heb.  11:13). 
His  Promised  Land  is  beyond  Jordan  where  Jesus  is. 
He  feels  sure  that  for  him  this  "  is  very  far  better," 
piling  up  comparatives,^  a  triple  superiority,  to  ex- 
press the  intensity  of  his  feeling  on  the  subject.  But 
Paul  does  not  take  a  selfish  view  of  his  life.  He  is 
willing  to  "  abide  by  the  flesh  "  *  since  it  is  "  more 
necessary  for  you,"  ^  After  all  this  is  one  of  the  chief 
joys  of  life  to  know  that  your  life  is  necessary  or 
useful  for  that  of  some  one  else.  There  is  the  pang 
of  parting  from  loved  ones  here,  the  sorrow  of  leav- 
ing others  without  one's  help,  the  shock  of  an  incom- 
pleted task.  So  then  Paul  faces  his  work  with  joy, 
only  he  would  have  more  joy  to  go  to  be  with  Jesus. 
But  the  hero  is  no  shirker.  He  has  kept  to  his  task 
even  though  a  prisoner  for  these  five  years. 

^  /iaTaXuOrj. 

"^  avaXv(Tc(i)?  (cf.  our  analysis). 

^  TToU^  yap  fiaXXov  kptl(SGov.  This  doubling  or  trebling 
{TzoXXif)  of  comparison  is  common  enough  in  the  /iinvrj.  Cf. 
Robertson,  "  Grammar  of  the  Greek  New  Testament  in  the 
Light  of  Historical  Research,"  pp.  663  f. 

*  Tu  inip-i'^siv  So  T^  ffapA't.  So  it  is  to  be  rendered  rather 
than  "  in  the  flesh." 

^  dvay/zacSrepoy  di"  u/jia?.  Comparative  again,  a  sort  of 
momentum  from  the  first  clause. 


JOY   IN   DEATH   AS  WELL  AS   IN   LIFE       99 

3.    The  Reason  for  Longer  Life  (verses  25  f.). 

Paul  has  no  desire  for  longer  life  just  to  be  alive, 
hanging  on  to  the  ragged  edge  of  existence.  To  be 
sure,  he  does  not  advocate  suicide.  The  matter  is  in 
God's  hands  and  he  v^ould  not  have  it  otherwise. 
Old  people  can  be  very  happy  and  very  useful.  If 
they  become  a  problem,  it  is  partly  because  they  take  a 
morose  view  of  things.  Even  the  sick  bring  a  bless- 
ing, often  just  because  they  are  sick  and  suffering. 
Robert  Hall  and  Charles  H.  Spurgeon  are  instances 
of  ministers  who  turned  physical  suffering  to  glorious 
gain.  The  same  thing  is  true  of  Adele  Kamm,  the 
wonderful  invalid  girl  whose  life  blessed  so  many. 
Paul  was  already  doing  that  very  thing  while  a 
prisoner.  Paul  is  not  here  claiming  prophetic  in- 
sight into  the  course  of  his  career.  He  is  confident ' 
of  this  very  hope  of  being  useful  to  the  Philippians. 
He  uses  the  same  word  again  in  2  :  24  about  his 
plans.  In  Acts  20 :  25  Paul  speaks  of  a  presenti- 
ment ^  about  not  seeing  the  elders  of  Ephesus  again, 
which  apparently  was  not  fulfilled  (i  Tim.  1:3; 
2  Tim.  1:15,  18;  4:20).  But  his  personal  con- 
viction about  seeing  the  Philippians  again  seems  to 
have  come  true  (i  Tim.  i  :  3).  He  plays  on  the 
Greek  verb  as  he  loves  to  do  with  words.  It  is  all  a 
mistake  to  think  that  such  plays  or  puns  are  simply 
funny  or  idle  conceits.     "  I  know  that  I  shall  bide 

^  rouTo  Tt£-oi0(b?.      State  of  assurance. 
'  olda.     His  intellectual  conviction. 


ICX)  PAUL'S  JOY  IN  CHRIST 

and  abide  with  you  all."  '  The  second  word  ^  has 
in  the  later  Greek  the  notion  of  remaining  alive.  So 
Paul  expects  to  remain  alive  and  to  be  with  the 
Philippians  again  by  God's  favour  "  for  your  prog- 
ress and  joy  in  the  faith."  ^  He  had  spoken  of  •'  the 
progress  of  the  Gospel"  (i  :  12)  in  Rome  in  spite 
of  his  imprisonment,  in  fact  largely  because  of  it. 
Now  he  I  oes  the  same  word  about  the  progress  of 
the  Phihppians.  Joy  will  go  along  with  progress  in 
the  faith  It  is  eminently  worth  while  to  see  people 
make  progress  in  the  faith  and  to  find  joy  in  the  faith. 
The  preacher  who  sees  people  grow  under  his  min- 
istry has  his  reward  here  and  now.  So  the  people 
love  to  see  the  preacher  grow  in  his  insight  and 
grasp  of  spiritual  truth.  There  is  joy,  mutual  joy, 
because  of  mutual  progress,  joy  pari  passu  with  the 
progress.  Paul  strikes  again  the  triumphant  vic- 
torious note  in  his  message  to  the  Philippians. 
There  is  no  "  hark-from-the-tomb  religion  "  for  him. 

'  [i£vu)  nai  Tzapaij.evu)  natno  vfilv.  The  first  verb  is  abso- 
lute (for  life),  the  second  is  relative  and  particular  with  the 
dative,  by  the  side  of  you  all.  Cf.  Plato's  Phsdrus  1150 
nn/iirt  vfilv  napaiiv^w.  The  word  is  in  common  use  for 
"  serve  "  as  an  apprentice  or  sla\'e-boy  (Moulton  and  Milli- 
gan,  "  Lexical  Notes  in  Papyri,"  Expositor,  Sept.  19 10).  For 
other  word-plays  by  Paul  see  2  Thess.  3:11;  Rom.  i  :  20 ; 
5:19;  2  Cor.  4:8;  5:4.  Cf.  Robertson,  "  Grammar  of 
the  Greek  New  Testament,"  etc.,  pp.  izoof. 

'^  Tzapaiisvu).      Cf.  Schmid,  "  Atticismus,"  I,  p.  132. 

^  £^9  TTjv  Vfimv  TTpii/io-jzijv  A:at  ^apdv  r>*?  zi^TEcug.  The  one 
article  goes  with  both  substantives  as  in  2  Pet.  I  :  i  and  i  :  il. 
Cf.  Robertson,  "  Grammar,"  etc.,  p.  785. 


JOY  IN   DEATH   AS  WELL  AS   IN   LIFE     lOI 

The  Christian  ought  to  be  the  happiest  man  alive, 
full  of  spiritual  ecstasy  and  rapture.  Joy  is  more 
than  Epicurean  sensualism.  Baskerville  quotes  the 
Yorkshireman  who  found  so  great  joy  in  his  religion 
that  he  had  "  A  happy  Monday.  A  blessed  Tues- 
day. A  joyful  Wednesday.  A  delightful  Thursday. 
A  good  Friday.  A  glorious  Saturday.  A  heavenly 
Sunday."  Indeed,  Paul  wishes  that  the^r  "  glory= 
ing  "  '  may  literally  overflow  ^  all  bounds,  provided  it 
is  in  Christ'  (because  of  Christ  primarily  .»Aid  under 
the  control  of  Christ,  in  the  sphere  of  Christ).  If 
people  have  enough  occasion  to  shout  aloud  their 
joy,  let  them  do  it.  Let  the  redeemed  of  the 
Lord  say  so.  Sing  aloud  the  praises  of  our  God, 
The  Philippians  will  have,  so  Paul  hopes,  a  special 
occasion  of  joy  in  his  case^  "through  my  pres- 
ence^ with  you  again."  He  lives  to  serve  and  to 
give  joy  to  others.  That  is  his  joy.  Paul,  like  his 
Master,  came  not  to  be  ministered  unto,  but  to  min- 
ister. He  is  not  a  minister  who  has  to  be  "  molly- 
coddled," but  a  virile  spirit  radiating  life  and  joy  to 
all  about  him.  The  key-word  to  Paul's  life  is  pre- 
cisely the  notion  of  service.  There  is  no  harm  in  a 
spiritual  flood  if  it  does  not  get  beyond  the  sphere 
of  Jesus  Christ. 

'  Kaii-piixa  ground  of  boasting. 
^  TzeptffneuTj.      All  around  and  over. 

'  iv  XpiiTTU)  ^l-qaoX).  ■*  iv  ifxa). 

^  dtd  TTJ's  k/i^<s  TTapnuffia'i.     Common  in  this  sense  of  coming 
in  the  papyri.     Cf.  the  Parousia  of  Christ. 


I02  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

4.    The  Christian  as  a  Citizen  (verses  27  f.). 

Paul's  coming  to  them  cannot  do  it  all.  They 
must  do  their  part  if  his  coming  is  to  be  of  any  value 
to  them.  So  he  conditions  ^  his  hope  of  helping  by 
a  striking  clause  :  "  Only  be  citizens  of  the  Christian 
commonwealth  in  a  manner  worthy  of  the  Gospel 
of  Christ."  The  Authorized  Version  preserves  a 
curious  mark  of  the  inevitable  change  in  words  dur- 
ing the  centuries  for  it  has  :  "  Only  let  your  conver- 
sation, etc."  In  modern  EngHsh  "  conversation  "  is 
confined  to  talk,  whereas  in  old  English  it  signified 
manner  of  Hfe  according  to  its  etymology .^  Chris- 
tian conversation  now  means  Christian  talk.  But  the 
Revised  Version  has  *'  manner  of  life  "  which  is  the 
old  idea  in  "  conversation."  The  Greek,  however, 
has  a  more  precise  idea  than  that  and  gives  the  pic- 
ture of  a  city-state  or  commonwealth,  from  which 
we  get  our  words  politic,  political,  polite.^  Paul 
uses  the  word  once  also  of  his  life  in  good  conscience 
before  God.*     The  Stoics  had  familiarized  the  public 

^  See  a  similar  use  of  ixovov  in  1  Cor.  7  :  39 ;  Gal.  2  :  10; 
2  Thess.  2  :  7. 

^  Conversatio  from  cotiverso  to  turn  round,  then  conversor  to 
turn  oneself,  to  live. 

^  ToXiTzuiaOt.  Act  your  part  as  citizens.  From  TtoXirrjg 
citizen,  and  that  from  7r«Ajf  city.  Cf.  Fowler,  *'  The  City- 
State  of  the  Greeks  and  Romans"  (1895);  Coulanges,  "The 
Ancient  City"  (1916).  Cf.  roXireuna  in  Phil.  3:20.  Jo- 
sephus  ("  Life,"  §  2)  says  -/jp^dfiriv  izoXirtdtaOai  rfj  tpapcffattuv 
alpiaei  fcarakoXouOihv.  The  Pharisees  were  both  a  political 
and  a  religious  party. 

^  TztnoXireuiiai  (Acts  23  :  1). 


JOY   IN  DEATH   AS  WELL  AS   IN   LIFE     103 

with  the  idea  of  a  world-wide  state  (Lightfoot  on 
Phil.,  pp.  270  ff.).  "  Stoic  philosophy  had  leavened 
the  moral  vocabulary  of  the  civilized  world  "  (Vin- 
cent, in  loco).  The  life  of  Paul  in  Rome  had  made 
him  think  afresh  of  the  great  Roman  Empire  and  he 
himself  was  a  Roman  citizen  (Acts  22  :  28)  by  birth 
and  was  proud  of  it.  From  the  great  center  of  the 
Roman  world  he  would  naturally  think  of  Christian- 
ity in  Roman  terms  as  Jesus  so  often  spoke  of  the 
kingdom '  of  God,  a  Jewish  conception.  But  the 
Philippians  themselves  lived  in  a  city  that  was  a 
Roman  colony  and  so  were  perfectly  familiar  with 
the  rights  and  dignity  of  Roman  citizenship.  Clem- 
ent of  Rome  also  {ad  Cor,  iii,  xxi,  liv)  shows  how 
Christians  owe  obligations  to  a  spiritual  polity  as 
citizens  do  to  the  state.  Christians  are  to  live 
worthily^  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ.  This  is  the 
standard.  They  are  "  no  more  strangers  and  so- 
journers," but  "  fellow-citizens  ^  with  the  saints  " 
(Eph.  2  :  19).  One  of  the  great  lessons  for  to-day  is 
just  this  matter  of  Christian  citizenship.  The  age- 
long conflict  between  church  and  state  has  caused 
such  a  reaction  that  too  many  Christians  fail  to  bring 

^  ^affiXtia  from  ^atrtXeug. 

'  d^iw<i.  Cf.  Inscr.  of  Pergamum  in  2  cent.  a.  d.  Bd.  ii, 
p.  496,  for  d^ccjg  T^9  TToAettf?.  Deissmann  (**  Bible  Studies," 
pp.  248  f.)  gives  five  examples  of  inscriptions  from  Pergamum 
with  this  use  of dft'tu?  with  the  genitive.  So  a  priest  of  Dionysus 
is  praised  as  (To[i/]rer£A£>toT09  ra  lepd dc w?  tou  deou. 

*  auvitokiTai  zmv  d/iwv. 


I04  PAUL'S  JOY  IN  CHRIST 

their  consciences  and  their  votes  to  bear  upon  the 
problem  of  civil  government.  The  divorce  between 
church  and  state  has  been  entirely  too  complete. 
Churches  have  no  right  as  organizations  to  infringe 
upon  the  prerogatives  of  the  state.  But  after  all  the 
Christian  citizen  is  still  a  citizen  and  must  not  forget 
that  when  he  takes  a  hand,  as  he  must,  in  civic  affairs. 
A  new  conscience  has  come  to  our  citizens  who  are 
no  longer  willing  for  the  laws  to  be  made  and  to  be 
executed  by  men  who  make  a  specialty  of  placing 
their  own  interests  above  the  public  welfare  and  who 
ruthlessly  sacrifice  ethical  ideals  to  carry  their  point. 
This  new  conscience  in  American  business  and  po- 
litical life  is  doing  away  with  many  old  abuses  that 
flourished  because  Christians  were  not  worthy  citi- 
zens. Child  labour,  white  slavery,  the  liquor  traffic, 
the  sweat  shop,  bribery  in  elections,  the  city  boss  are 
just  a  few  of  the  evils  that  must  disappear  before  the 
concerted  effort  of  Christian  citizens.  The  party  em- 
blem must  not  be  more  sacred  than  the  Gospel  of 
Christ.  The  Christian  has  at  least  as  much  right  in 
city  politics  as  the  ward  politician  or  the  dive-keeper. 
The  time  has  come  for  Christians  to  clean  up  the 
cities  of  the  country  and  to  keep  them  clean.  The 
day  will  come  when  the  modern  city  will  be  a  safe 
place  for  women  and  children  to  live  in.  As  it  is, 
the  city  streets  are  the  last  place  on  earth  for  our 
boys  and  girls  as  Miss  Jane  Addams  has  so  well 
shown.     It  is  not  good  citizenship  when  money  is 


JOY   IN   DEATH   AS  WELL  AS   IN   LIFE     I05 

ground  out  of  the  pinched  faces  of  the  children  and 
out  of  the  souls  and  bodies  of  helpless  girls.  A 
citizenship  worthy  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ  cannot  be 
indifferent  to  the  social  ills  in  the  body  politic. 

Paul  is  not  sure  when  he  can  come,  but  he  is 
anxious  for  unity  and  cooperation  on  their  part  in 
their  life  together  in  the  Christian  Commonwealth  in 
Philippi.  But  his  purpose  '  is  that,  whether  he  comes 
and  sees  them  or  only  hears  in  his  absence^  about 
them,  it  may  be  true  that  they  stand  together  in  one 
spirit.'  It  is  a  great  deal  to  be  able  to  stand  when 
under  attack  and  sometimes  it  is  very  hard  to  do  so, 
especially  when  others  run  away.  They  must  stand 
fast  like  the  famous  Macedonian  phalanx.  Paul 
made  fine  use  of  the  military  figure  of  standing  one's 
ground  against  the  hosts  of  evil  in  Ephesians  6  :  1 3  ff. 
Team  work  in  the  games  is  absolutely  essential.  It 
I  is  so  to-day  in  baseball  or  football.  It  was  so  in  the 
ancient  games.  Paul  knew  the  spirit  of  the  athletic 
games  and  makes  frequent  use  of  metaphors  from 
them.  He  had  probably  seen  the  games  in  the 
Greek  stadium  (cf.  Phil.  3  :  14).  In  i  Cor.  4:9  he 
speaks  of  himself  as  a  ♦•  spectacle "  ^  to  the  world. 
In  2  Tim.  2 :  5  Paul  speaks  of  contending '  in  the 


^  This  sentence  is  not  evenly  balanced  in  the  Greek.  One 
would  expect  drcoum  to  be  d-kobiov  like  i8wv. 

^  nveufiart  (spirit)  in  contrast  to  (/'U)(tj  (soul)  just  below. 
But  the  words  are  sometimes  interchanged. 

*  diarpov.  ^  d.6X^  vo[ii[xw<s. 


I06  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

games  according  to  the  rules.  Here  he  uses  the 
compound  verb '  as  in  Phil.  4:3.  It  is  the  esprit  du 
corps  or  camaraderie  of  college  boys  in  the  games  or 
of  soldiers  in  battle.  There  should  be  church  spirit 
in  every  local  church  that  binds  all  together  in  Christ 
"  for  the  faith  of  the  Gospel"  (of.  Jude  3  "  contend 
earnestly  ^  for  the  faith  once  delivered  to  the  saints  "). 
In  particular,  those  who  thus  strive  in  concert  for 
the  advance  of  the  faith  of  the  Gospel,  the  new  rule 
of  life,  must  not  be  frightened  by  the  adversaries. 
The  word  here  for  frightened '  means  to  be  startled 
like  a  scared  horse  or  fluttered  like  a  surprised  bird. 
War  horses  will  stand  the  booming  of  cannon  and 
the  bursting  of  shells  at  their  feet.  Some  Christians 
are  like  scared  rabbits.  They  jump  and  run  at  the 
first  adversary  ^  who  says  "  Boo ! "  They  have  no 
more  courage  than  grasshoppers  and  shy  at  every 
shadow.  They  have  to  be  nursed  and  coddled  if 
they  do  their  ordinary  duty  as  Christians  and  church 
members.  Panic  is  the  worst  sort  of  defeat.  It  is 
rout.  This^  refusal  to  be  fluttered  is  proofs  to  the 
adversaries  of  their  eternal  destruction^  and  of  your 
eternal  salvation.^     And  this  proof  comes  from  God. 

^  ouvaOXouvreq.     Acting  as  athletes  in  concert. 

"^  iTtayiuvi^eaOai.     Another  athletic  word  from  dywv  contest. 

^  TZTupoixtvoi.     Cf.  Diod.     Sic.  XVII,  34,  6. 

*  d.vri(i£iiJ.£vo<s.     Lined  up  against,  face  to  face  opposition. 

*  ^Tt?.     Explanatory  relative. 

*  evdet^tg.     Attic  law  term. 

.'  dTicjXeta^.  ^  autxTipia^. 


JOY  IN   DEATH  AS   WELL  AS   IN   LIFE     107 

The  signal  of  life  or  death  comes  from  God,  not  from 
the  fickle  crowd  at  a  gladiatorial  show. 

5.    The  Gift  of  Suffering  (verses  29  f.). 

The  "  proof"  of  God's  love,  of  which  Paul  spoke  in 
verse  28,  is  seen  *  precisely  in  the  fact  that  the  Phi- 
lippians  have  been  honoured  by  God  with  the  gift 
of  suffering.  This  sentence  is  quite  broken  and 
Westcott  and  Hort  have  tried  to  mend  it  by  a 
parenthesis,  but  the  punctuation  of  the  Revised  Ver- 
sion is  clear  enough.^  The  Philippians  not  only  have 
the  gift'  of  faith  in  Christ,  but  also  of  suffering  in  His 
behalf.  This  is  one  of  the  great  paradoxes  of  God's 
love.  In  Isaiah  48 :  10  note :  "  I  have  chosen  thee 
in  the  furnace  of  affliction."  The  Servant  of  Jehovah 
was  to  be  "  a  man  of  sorrows  and  acquainted  with 
grief"  (Isaiah  53:3).  The  Captain  of  our  salvation 
was  made  perfect  through  sufferings  (Heb.  2  :  10). 
Jesus  suffered  as  we  do  and  is  able  to  sympathize 
with  us  and  to  help  us  because  of  His  experiences  in 
the  flesh  (Heb.  2 :  17  f. ;  4 : 1 5  f.).    The  fellowship  with 

^  oTc.     Because. 

*  There  are  here  two  instances  of  the  broken  structure.  One 
is  the  suspension  of  the  clause  after  ru  OTzkp  Xptarou  which  is 
left  without  an  infinitive,  and  the  addition  of  00  [lovov  to 
■Kiffreueiv  which  necessitates  dXXd  /iai  and  the  repetition  of  t^ 
before  TAay_s.i.\i.  Paul  was  no  stylist  when  his  passion  surged 
over  all  grammatical  bounds  (cf.  Rom.  4  :  16),  but  his  mean- 
ing is  clear.  The  other  instance  is  the  nominative  e^ovre? 
after  viiiv.  This  is  again  a  common  idiom  with  Paul.  See 
Robertson,  "  Grammar,"  etc.,  pp.  izpf.,  439  f. 

^  kyi^apiaOfi.     Aorist  tense,  but  they  still  have  the  gift. 


I08  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

the  sufferings  of  Christ  is  a  favourite  idea  with  Paul 
(cf.  2  Thess.  1:5;  Rom.  8:17;  2  Tim.  2 :  12).  In 
Colossians  I  :  24  he  even  speaks  of  "  filHng  up  in 
his  turn  " '  the  sufferings  left  over  by  Christ.  Paul 
already  had  the  stake ^  in  the  flesh  which  was  given' 
to  him  to  keep  him  humble  (2  Cor.  12:  7  f.).  The 
Philippians  had  seen  ^  Paul  suffer  as  a  prisoner  while 
with  them  (Acts  16  :  23  "  many  stripes."  Cf.  i  Thess. 
2 :  2),  Now  they  hear  ^  of  his  sufferings  in  Rome  as 
a  prisoner.  At  last  it  has  come  their  turn  to  undergo 
like^  sufferings  themselves.  It  is  their  time  to  strive 
in  the  arena  as  Christian  gladiators  in  the  same  con- 
flict.^ He  uses  the  common  word  (cf.  Col.  2 :  i ; 
I  Tim.  6:  12;  Heb.  12:1)  for  athletic  contests  (our 
"  agony,"  "  agonize  ").  The  lesson  of  suffering  as  a 
chastisement  is  one  that  is  learned  by  experience. 
Happy  is  he  who  learns  the  Father's  hand  in  the 
stroke  of  love  (cf.  Heb.  12:4-13).  Some  Christians 
do  not  learn  it  and  grow  bitter  instead  of  sweet. 
They  are  not  worthy  of  the  high  privilege  of  suffering 
for  Jesus'  sake.  The  ministry  of  suffering  is  one  of 
the  blessings  of  life.  It  equips  us  for  service  in  a  way 
that  nothing  else  does  or  can.  Preachers  are  enriched 
who  themselves  drink  this  cup.     Their  sympathy  is 

'  dvTava7:XT)pu>.  Note  both  prepositions  avd  (up  to  the 
brim)  and  dvTj,  in  Paul's  term. 

^  (TnoXn4>,  *  idoOt],  *  eTdere. 

*  aiiomzt  iv  liwi.  ®  tov  abrov — o\ov. 

'  ayiova.  Cf.  I  Thess.  2 :  2.  Paul  thus  uses  the  same 
word  about  his  experiences. 


JOY   IN   DEATH   AS  WELL  AS   IN   LIFE     I09 

no  longer  perfunctory.  They  know  by  experience 
what  it  is  to  suffer.  So  the  Philippians  are  now 
quahfied  by  this  new  bond  of  sympathy  to  under- 
stand Paul  as  they  have  never  done  before.  "  Blessed 
are  they  who  are  persecuted  for  righteousness'  sake." 


PAUL'S  FULL  CUP 
(2:i-ii) 

"  -m  yrAKE  full  my  joy"  Paul  pleads.  His 
l^/l  cup  is  not  full  to  the  brim.  It  is  not 
•1-  ▼  J-  running  over  with  bubbling  joy.  The 
Philippians  had  begun  well  and  were  doing  well  on 
the  whole,  but  Paul  was  not  satisfied  with  their  at- 
tainment. He  had  a  holy  dissatisfaction  about  them 
as  shown  in  his  prayer  in  I  :  9  ff.  He  longed  for 
them  all  to  see  the  possibilities  of  growth  in  Christ 
and  to  be  shaken  out  of  a  pious  complacency.  And 
then  there  were  already  signs  of  strife  in  the  church 
at  Philippi.  Rumours  of  this  contention  had  come 
to  Paul's  ears  probably  through  Epaphroditus.  Paul 
reveals  concern  in  this  whole  paragraph,  in  his  plea 
with  Euodia  and  Syntyche  (4  :  2),  in  his  words  about 
moderation  (4  :  5)  and  the  peace  of  God  (4  :  7).  He 
had  just  made  a  fervent  exhortation  for  unity  of  ef- 
fort and  courage  in  the  face  of  adversaries  (i  :  27  1.). 
Paul  refers  now  to  this  appeal  by  the  use  of  "  there- 
fore," ^  skipping  the  digression  in  I  :  29  f.     He  takes 

^  Ouv.     Argumentative  here,  not  transitional.     Cf.  Robert- 
son, "  Grammar,"  pp.  1 191  f. 

no 


PAUL'S   FULL  CUP  III 

up  again  and  presses  the  exhortation  to  unity  in 
order  to  fill  up  his  cup  of  joy. 

I.     The  Grounds  of  the  Appeal  (2  :  i). 

There  are  four  grounds  given  here  by  Paul  for  his 
plea  for  unity.  He  puts  his  grounds  in  the  form  of 
conditional  clauses,  but  he  assumes  in  each  instance 
that  the  condition  is  true.'  This  "  if "  is  simply  a 
rhetorical  device  to  get  a  grip  on  their  attention. 
He  places  in  the  form  of  hypothesis  their  funda- 
mental experiences  of  grace  in  Christ.  •'  The  rapid 
succession  and  variety  of  the  appeals  and  the  repe- 
tition of  *  if  any '  are  peculiarly  impressive  "  (Vincent, 
in  loco).  The  first  ground  of  Paul's  appeal  is  the 
«'  stimulus  in  Christ "  (Moffatt).  "  If  there  is  any 
power  of  exhortation  in  your  connection  with  and 
experiences  in  Christ."^  The  Latin  vulgate  has 
consolatioy  but  exhortation  (cf.  Rom.  12:8;  Titus 
2  :  1 5),^  not  comfort  (2  Cor.  1:3;  7  :  4),  is  the  real 
idea.  There  is  comfort  in  Christ  beyond  a  doubt,  all 
the  real  comfort  of  life,  for  God  is  the  God  of  all 
comfort  (2  Cor.  i  :  3)  in  Christ  Jesus  (i  :  5).  "  There 
is   a   Friend   that   sticketh   closer   than   a  brother " 

^The  condition  here  is  that  of  the  first  class,  tl  with  the  in- 
dicative, though  the  predicate  is  not  expressed.  See  Robert- 
son, "Grammar,"  pp.  1007-1012.  Cf.  Virgil,  Aen.  i.  603 
for  similar  rhetorical  form  {si  qua,  si  quid'). 

^  el'  T£9  TtapdKXrjfft^  iv  Xptaru). 

^  napd/cXyjcri^  (from  napa — /calico,  to  call  to  one's  side) 
means  "  exhortation  "  first,  then  *'  comfort."  Cf.  double 
meaning  o(  napdklrjro'^  (Paraclete). 


112  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

(Prov.  18:24).  "The  Lord  will  even  light  my 
candle"  (Ps.  18:28).  But  that  is  not  the  idea  of 
Paul  here.  Jesus  is  both  Advocate  and  Comforter, 
but  here  He  is  presented  by  Paul  as  the  Advocate 
who  pleads  the  cause  of  God  to  the  Philippians. 
The  whole  case  of  Christ,  His  Person  and  His  Work 
and  in  particular  the  experience  of  the  Philippians  is 
here  offered  for  consideration.  "  If  your  life  in 
Christ,  your  knowledge  of  Christ,  speaks  to  your 
hearts  with  a  persuasive  eloquence "  (Lightfoot). 
Paul's  mystic  phrase  "  in  Christ  "  which  he  uses  so 
often  here  has  all  the  rich  content  that  he  can  pour 
into  it.  Let  Christ  speak  to  you  in  the  hush  of  your 
own  hearts.  I  have  seen  a  physician  try  to  find  a 
response  to  all  sorts  of  stimuli  in  a  victim  of  apo- 
plexy. He  used  needles,  he  touched  the  ball  of  the 
foot,  he  used  every  known  physiological  device  to 
find  signs  of  life.  If  Christ  makes  no  appeal  to  the 
professed  Christian,  he  is  not  "  in  Christ."  He  is 
out  of  contact  with  Christ.  He  is  spiritually  dead. 
If  one's  own  hfe  in  Christ  does  not  stimulate  the  soul 
to  the  noblest  effort,  it  is  useless  to  go  on  with  the 
appeal.  Response  to  stimuli  is  the  sign  of  life.  The 
absence  of  it  is  the  proof  of  death. 

The  second  ground  of  Paul's  appeal  is  the  "  in- 
centive of  love."  Here  again  the  word  means  en- 
couragement, not  consolation,  though  the  Vulgate 
has  solatmm  caritatis.  Paul  uses  the  two  words  side 
by  side  also  in  i  Thessalonians  2  :  1 1.    The  idea  is  the 


PAUL'S  FULL  CUP  I13 

tender  persuasiveness  of  love.  If  love  has  any  power 
by  its  tenderness  to  stir  your  hearts,  then  listen  to 
me.  It  is  the  incentive  that  springs  from  love.  He 
does  not  define  whose  "  love  "  he  has  in  mind  and 
probably  leaves  it  vague  on  purpose.  He  may  be 
thinking  of  his  own  love  for  the  Philippians,  but  he 
may  also  be  presenting  to  their  contemplation  Christ's 
love  for  them.  "  Love  makes  the  world  go  round," 
Love  spurs  to  one  last  endeavour.  Dr.  John  A. 
Broadus  used  to  close  his  last  lecture  to  the  class  in 
Homiletics  in  the  Southern  Baptist  Theological 
Seminary  with  a  plea  for  the  young  ministers  to  do 
their  very  best  for  Jesus*  sake.  And  then,  with  tears 
in  his  eyes  and  in  the  eyes  of  his  pupils,  he  begged 
that  they  would  do  just  a  bit  better  for  their  old 
teacher's  sake.  A  man  who  is  deaf  to  love  is  deaf 
indeed,  deaf  to  the  love  of  mother,  of  father,  of  wife, 
of  child,  of  Jesus,  of  God  the  Father.  Love  of  man 
may  let  us  go,  but  not  the  love  of  God.  We  can  all 
understand  George  Matheson's  "  Oh,  love  that  will 
not  let  me  go,"  the  deathless  love  of  Jesus. 

The  third  ground  of  appeal  is  the  participation  in 
the  Holy  Spirit.  "  If  fellowship  in  the  Spirit  is  a 
reality,"  Paul  means.  It  is  a  phrase  that  meant  a 
great  deal  for  Paul  (cf.  2  Cor.  13  :  13  ;  Rom.  15  :  30). 
People  use  it  glibly  and  without  meaning.  The 
Holy  Spirit  is  very  vague  to  many  Christians  who 
refer  to  the  Third  Person  in  the  Godhead  by  "  it." 
The  Greek  used  grammatical  gender  which  has  no 


114  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

bearing  in  English.*  The  word  here  for  "  fellow- 
ship"'^ we  have  had  already  (i  :  5)  and  means  par- 
ticipation or  partnership.  If  we  have  any  part- 
nership in  the  life  and  blessings  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
then  we  are  ready  to  listen  to  Paul's  plea  for  unity. 
The  Holy  Spirit  is  the  unifying  principle  in  the  local 
church  (cf.  I  Cor.  12:4-11).  He  alone  can  bring 
order  out  of  chaos  and  preserve  harmony  in  the  body 
of  Christ.  Unless  the  Holy  Spirit  rules,  there  is 
mere  excitement  and  confusion  (i  Cor.  14).  In- 
stance to-day  the  "  Holy  Rollers  "  and  other  fanatics. 
Without  the  Holy  Spirit  there  is  no  life  and  no 
power. 

The  fourth  ground  of  appeal  is  compassion  in  the 
heart.  Paul  uses  two  words  here.  One  is  the  seat 
or  organ  of  the  compassion  ("  tender  mercies  "  ^),  the 
other  is  the  pity  itself  ("  compassion  "  ^).  My  phy- 
sician, the  late  Dr.  J.  B.  Marvin,  a  brilliant  scientist 
and   earnest  Christian,  used  often  to  speak  of  the 

'  Tvevfxa  is  grammatically  neuter.  But  in  John  1 4  :  26  iKslvo^ 
skips  over  Tzveufxa  o  to  T.apdkXriro<i,  The  Holy  Spirit  is  a 
person  and  we  should  say  "  He." 

*  koivwvia. 

^ffTtXayyva.  The  organ  of  the  higher  viscera  (the  heart,  the 
stomach,  etc.). 

^  o\/iTipiJ.oL  In  Col.  3:  12  Paul  combines  them  (77:Aa^;fva 
ol/zTipiwT)  as  the  Vulgate  does  here  viscera  miser atmiis. 
There  is  a  difficulty  in  the  Greek  text  {t1  zi?  ffTzXdyxva)  that 
has  various  explanations.  Paul  may  have  written  et  ri  in  all 
four  clauses,  the  rt.  being  in  the  predicate  in  each  instance. 
T£?  here  may  be  a  scribal  error  due  to  the  a  in  the  next  word. 
There  is  an  early  error  undoubtedly. 


PAUL'S   FULL   CUP  II5 

"  stomach-brain "  in  justification  of  this  ancient 
idiom,  a  sort  of  sensitive  plate  in  the  stomach  that 
corresponded  to  the  brain.  If  you  have  a  heart  and 
if  your  heart  has  any  compassion,  Hsten  to  me,  says 
Paul.  If  you  love  me  at  all,  hear  me.  Could  they 
resist  that  plea  ? 

2.    The  Nature  of  the  Plea  (2  :  2). 

Paul's  cup  of  joy  will  indeed  be  full  if  the  Philip- 
pians  respond  to  his  fourfold  appeal.  There  is,  for- 
sooth, real  joy  in  having  our  own  wdcy,  but  that  is  not 
Paul's  feeling.  His  word  here  for  "  make  full "  is  the 
original  meaning  of  the  word'  so  often  translated 
"  fulfill."  John  the  Baptist  uses  the  word  about  his 
joy  in  the  joy  of  Jesus  the  Bridegroom  :  "  This  my 
joy  therefore^  is  made  full  "  (John  3  :  29).^  The  sub- 
stance or  purport '  of  Paul's  plea  is  that  the  Philip- 
pians  exhibit  the  unity  of  the  spirit  of  which  he 
spoke  in  I  :  27  f.  Paul  cannot  rest  content  while  the 
spirit  of  faction  exists  in  this  generous,  glorious 
church  at  Philippi.  He  uses  "  the  tautology  of 
earnestness  "  (Vaughan),  but  it  is  not  quite  "  hyper- 
critical "  to  see  some  distinction  in  the  expressions 
employed  to  emphasize  unity. 

There   is   first  the  unity  of  thought  ("  think  the 

*  -KX-qpuxTaTe, 

^  aoTfj  ()7>v  i]  y^apa  ^  Ifvri  izzTzlrjpoiTat. 
'  ?va    here    is    not    final,    but   sub-final.     Cf.    Robertson, 
"  Grammar,"  pp.  991-994. 


Il6  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

same  thing  "  '),  even  identity  of  thought  ("  of  one 
mind,"  "  thinking  the  one  thing  "  2).  Surely  this  is 
not  an  easy  thing  to  do,  especially  where  people 
have  active  minds  and  independent  spirits.  It  is 
only  true  where  minds  are  in  tune  that  two  minds 
think  as  one.  Then  one  will  say :  "  I  was  just 
thinking,"  and  both  say  the  same  thing  at  once. 
There  is  something  in  telepathy  when  mind  answers 
to  mind  like  wireless  telegraphy  with  transmitter 
and  receiver.  To  be  sure,  one  can  be  acquiescent 
without  thinking  and  parrot-like  repeat  what  he 
hears.  This  is  a  mechanical  echo  and  not  real  har- 
mony of  thought  from  conviction  and  sympathy. 
There  should  be  also  unison  of  affection,  "  having 
the  same  love."  ^  We  have  the  phrase  "  two  hearts 
that  beat  as  one."  If  this  were  true,  preachers  would 
remain  longer  in  their  pastorates,  churches  would  be 
more  fruitful  in  good  works,  there  would  be  fewer 
losses  in  the  membership. 

There  should  be  also  harmony  of  feeling,  "  of  one 
accord."  ^  A  common  disposition  will  ensue  where 
there  is  unity  of  thought  and  of  affection.     Our  word 

*  TO  aoTo  (ppovTJTE.  Dcissmann  ("  Bible  Studies,"  p.  256) 
quotes  an  inscription  of  Rhodes  of  2  cent.  b.  c.  which  has 
Tfwrd  Xiyovreg  raora  (ppovouvreg  i^}.0n/i£v  used  of  a  married 
couple. 

''  TO  |y  <ppnv()uvT£<f.  Sometimes  both  constructions  occur 
together.  Cf.  Aristides  c/e  Cone.  Rhod.,  p.  569  IV  /?«!  rabTov 
<ppovoovT£^,  Polybius  V.   104,  X-yovre?  sv  nai  tuvto. 

*  ri/V  auTTjv  dyaTzrjv  eyovT£<;. 

*  ffuv<puyot.     Soul  with  soul. 


PAUL'S   FULL  CUP  II7 

accord  (heart  to  heart,  ad -|- cor)  suggests  two  hearts 
in  perfect  key,  a  symphony  of  the  spirit.  Certainly 
there  would  be  fewer  divorces  if  husband  and  wife 
never  got  out  of  tune.  There  is  a  music  of  the 
spheres.  The  same  note  will  respond  when  in  key 
with  another  instrument.  If  one  note  is  struck,  the 
one  in  key  answers  to  it.  Everything  has  its  note. 
The  whole  church  is  a  choir  and  must  be  kept  in 
tune.  Musical  natures  are  sensitive  and  high  strung 
and  readily  get  out  of  tune.  But,  if  each  one  of  us 
keeps  his  life  in  tune  with  God,  "  in  tune  with  the 
Infinite,"  it  will  not  be  impossible  to  get  in  tune  with 
each  other.'  The  discord  will  all  be  lost  in  the 
glorious  orchestra  that  blends  in  common  praise  to 
God.  Such  a  church  will  have  variety  in  plenty,  but 
it  will  be  the  variety  of  concord,  not  jarring  notes  out 
of  tune  with  the  rest. 

3.    The  Preeminent  Social  Grace  (2 :  3  f.). 

What  is  it  ?  Elegance  of  manners  ?  The  gift  of 
saying  agreeable  things  ?  Courtesy  ?  These  are  all 
worth  while  and  courtesy  comes  very  close  to  Paul's 
idea  of  humility,  if  it  is  courtesy  of  the  heart  and  not 
of  the  mere  occasion  or  fashion.  "  Paul's  ethic  is 
at  least  as  much  a  social  as  an  individual  ethic."  ^ 
Church  life  is  a  social  fact  and  humility  is  a  prime 
factor  in  it.     Egotism  and  party  spirit  destroy  the 


^  Holtzmann,  "  N.  T.  Theol,"  ii.,  p.  162. 


Il8  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

unity  essential  to  healthy  church  life.  The  antidote 
to  these  evils  is  humility.  It  is  absolutely  essential 
to  social  harmony.  The  egotist  is  a  bore  in  any 
circle.  The  partisan  is  tiresome  to  all  save  his  circle. 
Egotism  and  partisan  pride  seem  to  be  the  chief  perils 
to  the  Philippian  church.*  The  Jewish  element  had 
the  pride  of  privilege,  the  Gentile  element  the  pride 
of  culture.  The  Pharisee  was  an  egotist  and  a  parti- 
san by  inheritance  of  seclusive  virtue  and  grace.  The 
cultured  Greek  or  the  oriental  Gnostic  had  a  profound 
sense  of  his  own  superiority  over  the  outside  bar- 
barians. So  Paul  attacks  earnestly  the  sins  that  lie 
in  the  way  of  spiritual  unity  in  Phihppi.  Humility 
is  essential  to  concord  in  the  church. 

There  is  no  participle  in  the  first  clause  in  verse  3, 
but  we  need  only  repeat  the  last  one  in  verse  2, 
"  thinking  2  nothing  by  way  of  ^  faction  or  vainglory." 
The  word  for  "  faction  "  ^  Paul  has  used  already  (l :  17) 
of  a  party  in  Rome  that  loved  to  trouble  him.  He  is 
reluctant  to  see  that  spirit  break  out  in  Phihppi.  Per- 
haps already  the  church  members  are  beginning  to 
take  sides  in  the  dispute  between  Euodia  and  Synty- 
che.  There  is  danger  of  a  conflagration  if  the  fire  is 
not  stamped  out  at  once.     Vainglory' is  emptiness 

'  Vincent,  in  loco.  ^  <ppovoovTe^. 

^  Hard.  The  standard  of  measure.  Cf.  Robertson, 
"  Grammar,"  pp.  608  f.  *  IpiOia. 

^  /ievodo^ia.  See  Gal.  5  :  26  for  /cevodo^ot  where  envy  is 
also  mentioned,  Ignatius  (^Magn.  XI.)  has  uykiaTpa  r^y 
/ievudu^ia£.     The  Vulgate  has  itianem  gloriam. 


PAUL'S  FULL  CUP  II9 

of  ideas.  The  man  who  is  puffed  up  with  conceit  is 
regarded  as  empty  headed.  Censoriousness  and  con- 
ceit are  the  marks  of  the  zealous  braggart  whose  loud 
protestations  do  not  conceal  his  poverty  of  ideas. 
Vanity  (from  vanus)  means  emptiness.  Moody  has 
a  good  word  here :  "  Strife  is  knocking  another  down 
— vainglory  is  setting  oneself  up." 

The  antidote  is  humility.  "  But  in  lowliness  of 
mind," '  Paul  says.  This  word  is  very  common  in 
the  New  Testament,  but  does  not  appear  earlier, 
though  it  may  turn  up  in  the  papyri  of  an  earlier 
date  any  time.  Plutarch  has  an  adjective  ^  kin  to  it. 
Epictetus^  uses  the  very  word,  but  in  the  ancient 
sense  of  meanness  of  spirit :  "  Where  is  there  still 
room  for  flattery,  for  meanness?"  The  ancients 
meant  abjectness  of  spirit  or  a  grovelling  condition 
or  rank  self-abasement  by  the  adjective.  Plato  and 
the  Platonists  do  sometimes  use  it  for  submission  to 
the  divine  order  or  modesty  of  attitude,  a  preparation 
for  the  use  of  the  word  by  Christ.  Jesus  raised 
humility  to  the  rank  of  a  grace  and  spoke  of  Him- 
self as  "  lowly  "  (Matt.  1 1 :  29)  and  often  praised  the 
humble  and  condemned  the  proud  and  self-seeking. 

'  T^  zaizeivoippoauvrj.  For  the  case  cf.  Robertson,  **  Gram- 
mar," p.  530. 

^  raiztvjofpui'j.  Cf,  Deissmann,  "  Light  From  the  Ancient 
East,"  p.  72,  n.  3. 

*  Bk.  Ill,  ch.  xxiv,  §  56  Tzoo  k'rt  /zokaAreia?  totto?,  ttoD 
ra7zevjo(ppo(TvvT)<s]  see  frequent  use  of  Tanet'^6^  by  Epictetus 
quoted  by  Sharp,  "  Epictetus  and  the  New  Testament,"  pp. 
i3of. 


I20  PAUL'S  JOY  IN   CHRIST 

He  made  "  low  "  mean  **  lowly  "  and  gave  dignity  to 
this  despised  word.  Once  Paul  (Col.  2:  i8)  uses  the 
word  for  "  mock  humility,"  an  echo  of  the  ancient 
usage.  The  word  has  played  a  large  part  in  Chris- 
tian ethics.'  Absolute  humihty  we  learn  at  the  feet 
of  Jesus  before  God.  Relative  humility  we  practice 
towards  each  other.  It  is  the  crowning  social  grace 
and  is  Christian  in  origin  and  spirit. 

"  Each  counting  other  better  than  himself."  ^  This 
is  a  very  astonishing  clause,  to  be  sure,  from  the 
standpoint  of  the  natural  man.  Paul  has  the  same 
idea  in  Romans  12:  lo  "in  honour  preferring  one 
another."^  It  is  the  dehberate  estimate  and  prefer- 
ence of  others,  not  a  momentary  impulse  of  polite- 
ness. I  have  heard  Paul's  principle  here  pointedly 
challenged  by  a  Christian  minister  as  making  too 
great  a  demand  on  one's  self-esteem.  But  there  is 
no  doubt  at  all  as  to  the  meaning  of  Paul  and  that  he 
is  in  harmony  with  the  teaching  of  Jesus  on  the  sub- 
ject. It  is  difficult  to  practise  this  Christian  chivalry 
to  women,  to  aged  men,  to  ministers  for  Christ's 
sake,  to  all  men  for  humanity's  sake.  Deference  is  a 
beautiful  word  and  the  absence  of  it  in  the  family  is 
"  pig  manners,"  every  one  for  himself.  A  girl  at 
school  surprised  her  friends  by  a  motto  on  the  wall 
of  her  room  which  read:  "  I  am  willing  to  be  third." 

'  Cf.  Neander,  "  Planting  of  Christianity,"  I,  p.  483. 
'  T^  Tt/xfj  dXXyjXoug  TCfxiTjj'ou/ievoi, 


PAUL'S  FULL  CUP  121 

God  was  first  with  her,  others  second,  self  third. 
That  is  the  spirit  of  Christ.  This  is  the  secret  of  the 
hfe  of  WilHam  Booth.  Once,  when  he  was  unable  to 
come  to  a  meeting  in  New  York,  he  sent  the  cable- 
gram "  Others."  That  is  the  key  to  the  life  of  David 
Livingstone  dying  in  the  heart  of  Africa. 

Proper  self-respect  does  not  demand  selfishness. 
"  Not  looking  each  of  you  to  his  own  things,  but 
each  of  you  also  to  the  things  of  others."  *  Paul 
does  not  mean  that  a  man  should  not  attend  to  his 
own  business.  If  one  does  not  do  his  own  work, 
no  one  else  will  do  it  for  him.  Paul  is  not  advocat- 
ing our  being  busy-bodies  in  other  people's  affairs. 
His  use  of"  also"^  shows  that  he  has  no  such  idea. 
But  he  means  that  one  must  not  fix  his  eye  ^  (like 
the  runner  on  the  goal)  upon  his  own  interests  to  the 
exclusion  of  those  of  others.  The  Christian  has  no 
right  to  conduct  his  life  by  the  law  of  the  jungle. 
He  cannot  look  out  simply  for  "  number  one."  The 
Golden  Rule  must  be  applied  to  business  and  to 
politics  as  well  as  to  private  life.  There  is  no  love 
in  the  rule  of  might,  in  ruthless  overriding  of  the 

'  The  plural  iftaaroi  is  unusual  in  the  New  Testament, 
though  common  elsewhere.  The  participle  a/zoTzouvrei;  is  the 
correct  text,  not  ako-Ke'ire,  but  it  is  tantamount  to  an  imper- 
ative. Cf.  Robertson,  "  Grammar,"  pp.  1132-1135.  The 
word  here  for  "  others  "  is  iriptuv,  not  aXXmv,  even  people  of 
another  class.  The  caste  spirit  is  all  over  the  world.  "  Peo- 
ple like  that,"  we  hear  in  a  snifF  of  contempt. 

"^  alXa  fcai. 

^  (T/SonouvTsg,     From  aaoTz6<i  goal,  aim. 


122  PAUL'S  JOY  IN  CHRIST 

rights  of  others.  Might  does  not  make  right  in  the 
state  or  in  the  individual.  That  is  the  rule  of  the 
bully  and  the  braggart.  The  Juggernaut  method  is 
the  spirit  of  the  devil,  and  rides  rough  shod  over  all 
in  the  way  whether  men,  women,  or  children.  There 
is  no  surer  way  to  wreck  a  church  than  this  spirit  of 
selfishness,  the  rule  or  ruin  policy.  Social  justice  is 
impossible  without  courtesy,  love,  sympathy.  This 
is  what  Paul  pleads  for  and  to  enforce  it  he  gives  the 
supreme  example  of  the  ages. 

4.    The  Example  of  Jesus  (2  :  5-11). 

(a)  For  Our  Imitation  (verse  5).  Look  at  Jesus ; 
"  Have  this  mind  in  you  which  was  also  in  Christ 
Jesus."  Kennedy  {i7i  loco)  makes  a  striking  sugges- 
tion as  to  what  this  sentence  means.  It  is  very 
awkward  in  the  Greek.'  He  takes  it  to  mean : 
"  Think  this  very  same  thing  in  yourselves  that  you 
think  in  Christ  Jesus."  That  is,  apply  the  same  rule 
to  yourselves  that  you  see  and  approve  in  Jesus  our 
Lord  and  Saviour.  It  is  not  always  true  that  Chris- 
tians put  religion  into  their  business  relations  or  feel 
the  same  call  for  consecration  that  they  love  to  note 
in  Christ.  "  The  keenest  zeal  may  be  displayed  in 
religious  work,  accompanied  by  singular  laxity  of 
principle  in  the  common  concerns  of  daily  business 
and  social  intercourse  "  (Kennedy).     This  is  certainly 

'  Kennedy  would  supply  (ppovtlre  after  o  instead  oUtppoveiTo 
or  ^v.  The  use  of  v[ilv  as  a  reflexive  is  common  enough. 
Cf.  Robertson,  "  Grammar,"  pp.  680  f.,  687  f. 


PAUL'S  FULL  CUP  1 23 

a  possible  meaning.  Some  people  are  piously  hum- 
ble on  Sunday,  but  a  terror  on  Monday.  Sheldon's 
"  In  His  Steps  "  did  not  quite  state  the  case.  We 
are  to  do  what  Jesus  wishes  us  to  do,  not  always  just 
what  He  did.  Paul  cites  the  example  of  Jesus  (cf. 
verse  8,  "  humbled  himself")  with  the  command  that 
the  Philippians  imitate  it. 

(d)  The  Preincarnate  Glory  (verse  6).  Every 
word  in  this  verse  has  been  the  subject  of  fierce 
controversy.  Kennedy  makes  two  very  sensible  ob- 
servations. One  is  that  Paul  is  not  here  giving  a 
technical  theological  discussion.  The  other  is  that 
he  is  not  using  the  language  of  philosophical  meta- 
physics. He  is  probably  familiar  with  the  chief  terms 
of  Greek  philosophy  and  of  rabbinical  theology.  The 
Gnostics  in  a  way  combined  both  sets  of  terms. 
But  here  Paul  is  making  a  practical  use  of  the  In- 
carnation of  Christ  to  enforce  the  great  lesson  of 
humility  as  essential  to  unity.  Christ  was  humble. 
Therefore  we  should  be.  It  is  a  piece  of  popular 
theology  that  Paul  gives  us  in  this  great  passage 
(2 :  6-1 1),  but  the  words  are^balanced  with  rhetorical 
rhythm  (two  strophes  of  four  lines  each).  He  is  not 
formally  discussing  Christology,  but  he  does  hft  the 
veil  and  shows  us  Jesus  Christ  in  His  Preincarnate 
Glory  as  John's  Gospel  docs  in  i :  i-io.  As  there, 
so  here  Paul  shows  identity  of  personality  in  the  two 
states  of  Christ.'  There  is  no  "Jesus  or  Christ" 
^  By  the  use  of  09  for  both  spheres  of  existence. 


124  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

controversy  for  Paul.^  Christ,  according  to  Paul 
here,  is  divine  in  nature  and  glory  before  the  Incar- 
nation. Bacon,^  forsooth,  thinks  that  John's  Gospel 
merely  copies  Paul's  Christology  here.  The  preex- 
istence  of  Christ  does  not  carry  with  it  the  preexist- 
ence  of  others.  (See  Wordsworth's  "Ode  on  Im- 
mortality.") It  is  poetical  to  say  "  trailing  clouds  of 
glory  do  we  come,"  but  not  necessarily  true. 

The  definite  statement  is  here  made  by  Paul  that 
Christ  "  existed  "  ^  before  His  Incarnation  (cf.  also 
2  Cor.  8:9^).  This  Preincarnate  state  of  Christ  was 
"  in  the  form  of  God,"  ^  a  difficult  phrase  to  translate. 
God,  of  course,  has  no  "  form  "  in  the  usual  sense 
of  that  term.  It  is  used  of  Christ's  human  form  in 
Mark  16:12  and  of  Christ's  Incarnation  in  "  the  form 
of  a  servant "  here  in  verse  9.  Lightfoot  argues  that 
the  word  means  here  "  the  essential  attributes  of 
God  "  as  below  in  verse  9  "  the  essential  attributes 
of  servant."     Paul  has  no  notion  of  a  body  or  form 

*  Cf.  Hibbert  Journal  Supplement  (January,  1909). 

* "  The  Fourth  Gospel  in  Research  and  Debate,"  19 10,  p.  7. 

^  uTzdpywv.  This  word  denotes  prior  existence.  Cf.  iv 
apy^  in  John  I  :  i  and  npturoro/zog  in  Col.  1:15,  17.  But 
dndpyojv  comes  in  the  kocvrj  to  be  a  mere  copula  r:=  being. 
Cf.  Robertson,  '*  Grammar,"  p.  394. 

*  Here  we  have  cov. 

^  iv  p.(>p(pfj  Oeoi).  Vulgate  in  forma  Dei.  The  word  does 
differ  from  obaia,  <pu(n<s,  tido^^  el/^wy,  and  tryr^ixa,  but  one 
must  not  go  into  psychological  or  philosophical  refinements  in 
these  words.  Sharp  ("  Epictctus  and  the  New  Testament," 
pp.  32f.)  shows  that  Epictetus  used  ik  (/'tXr^g  fiop^fj^  =  "^ 
i/tTdi  nepiypaf-j  (Bk.  IV,  ch.  v,  §§  1 9,  20). 


PAUL'S  FULL  CUP  12$ 

for  God,  but  simply  the  character  of  God  in  His  real 
essence.  In  Colossians  1:15  Paul  describes  Jesus 
as  the  Image'  of  God,  as  the  author  of  Hebrews 
(i :  3)  calls  Him  "the  Radiation ^  of  His  Glory  and 
the  Character^  or  Stamp  of  His  Substance*  or  Na- 
ture." We  cannot  comprehend  the  nature  of  God's 
Person.  John  applied  Logos  ^  to  Christ  as  the  Ex- 
pression of  God.  Paul  means  to  affirm  that  Christ 
had  not  the  accidents  of  the  divine  glory  and  environ- 
ment, but  the  essential  attributes  of  God's  nature, 
actual  deity,  not  mere  divinity  such  as  is  dimly  seen 
in  all  men  who  were  made  in  God's  image. 

This  "  equality  with  God  "  ^  refers  only  to  relation, 
which  '•  in  the  form  of  God  "  refers  only  to  nature. 
Jesus  could  not  give  up  His  essential  character  of 
Sonship.  He  was  the  Son  of  God  in  the  Preincar- 
nate  state.  He  was  the  Son  of  God  during  the  In- 
carnation after  He  became  also  the  Son  of  man.  So 
John  says  that  the  Logos  became  flesh  (John  i  :  14). 
Jesus  did  not  consider '  this  state  of  "  equality  with 
God,"  His  glory  at  the  right  hand  of  the  Father,  a 
thing  to  be  held  on  to^  at  any  cost  when,  by  giv- 

^  eifiwv.  ^  anauyafffxa.  ^  Xapakr^p. 

*  uniKTraaiq.     These  are  all  philosophical  terms. 
^  I)  Xoyo^  TOO  deou  (John  I  :  i). 

"  TO  ehac  I'ffa  dew.  It  is  doubtful  if  much  can  be  made  of 
the  distinction  between  laa  and  'laov  (cf.  John  5:18  laov  Tip 
0s(p).  Lightfoot  makes  taov  refer  to  the  person,  \aa  to  the 
attributes.  ^  ou'^  rjyyjfTaro. 

*  dpTzayixo^.  Words  in  /zoy  express  the  action  of  the  verb 
as  a  rule,  but  they  often  come  to  mean  the  result  of  the  action 


126  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

ing  up  the  glory  and  holding  on  to  the  nature  of 
God,  He  could  enter  upon  His  redemptive  work  for 
mankind.  This  is  my  view  of  this  crux  intcrpretnm. 
The  notion  of  "  robbery  "  is  not  the  idea  of  Paul  in 
spite  of  the  Vulgate  "  rapina  "  which  itself  is  ambigu- 
ous and  may  mean  only  a  highly-prized  possession. 
Kennedy  argues  cleverly  for  the  interpretation  that 
Jesus  was  not  willing  to  compel  men  by  a  display  of 
His  Godhood  to  recognize  His  deity,  but  preferred 
that  men  acknowledge  Him  by  gradual  conviction. 
This  is  a  possible  interpretation,  but  nothing  like  so 
probable  as  the  one  just  given. 

(c)  The  Humiliation '  (verses  7  f.).  These  two 
verses  give  a  wonderful  portrayal  of  what  was  in- 
like  those  in  fia.  Cf.  in  the  New  Testament  Ma(T/zo?= 
propitiation,  not  the  act  of  propitiating ;  dytaff/iui^,  not  the  act 
of  consecration,  but  sanctification.  Other  words  so  used  are 
0epi(Tfi6{,  (/j.arcfTfi6(^,  <pak/i6<}^  U7:oypaiJL!i6(^. 

^  One  thinks  at  once  of  Bruce's  great  book  on  "  The  Hu- 
miliation of  Our  Lord"  (1902).  Many  other  books  are 
worth  consulting  like  Bruce,  "  St.  Paul's  Conception  of  Chris- 
tianity "  (1898)  ;  Denney's  "  Jesus  and  His  Gospel  "  (1908)  ; 
Dorner,  "  History  of  the  Development  of  the  Person  ot 
Christ"  (5  vols.,  1B78)  ;  Fairbairn,  "The  Place  of  Christ  in 
Modern  Theology"  (1893);  Forsyth,  "The  Person  and 
Place  of  Jesus  Christ"  (1909);  GifFord,  "The  Incarnation" 
(1897);  Gore,  "The  Incarnation  of  the  Son  of  God" 
(1891);  Liddon,  "  Our  Lord's  Divinity  "  (1889);  Mackin- 
tosh, "The  Doctrine  of  the  Person  of  Jesus  Christ"  (19 12); 
Sanday,  "  Christologies  Ancient  and  Modern"  (1910); 
Schweitzer,  "The  Quest  of  the  Historical  Jesus"  (1910); 
Somerville,  "St.  Paul's  Conception  of  Christ"  (1897); 
Stalker,  "The  Christology  of  Jesus "  (1901);  Warfield, 
«*  The  Lord  of  Glory  "  (1907). 


PAUL'S  FULL  CUP  1 27 

volved  in  Christ's  Incarnation.  Bacon  ^  says  that  the 
key-note  of  the  synoptic  story  of  Jesus  "  is  not  incar- 
nation, but  apotheosis,"  while  in  Paul's  Epistles  and 
John's  Gospel  it  is  incarnation.  There  is  undoubt- 
edly in  the  Synoptic  Gospels  the  account  of  the  slow 
recognition  of  Jesus  as  the  Son  of  God,  but  that 
appears  in  the  Fourth  Gospel  also.  Besides,  the 
Synoptic  Gospels  present  Jesus  at  first  as  the  Son  of 
God  (Luke  i  :  32-35  ;  Matt,  i :  18,  23 ;  Luke  2:11; 
Mark  i:ii;  Matt.  3:17;  Luke  3:22).  The  Bap- 
tism of  Jesus  by  John  and  the  recognition  of  Jesus  as 
the  Son  of  God  by  the  Father  occurs  in  each  of  the 
Synoptics,  and  belongs  therefore  to  Q  or  the  Logia 
of  criticism,  the  oldest  form  of  the  tradition.  From 
the  first  Jesus  is  presented  as  both  the  Son  of  God 
and  the  Son  of  man.  He  was  the  Son  of  God  before 
He  was  the  Son  of  man.  He  continued  to  be  the 
Son  of  God  after  He  became  the  Son  of  man. 

He  did  give  up  much  in  order  to  become  the  Son 
of  man.  That  was  inevitable  and  foreseen  by  Christ. 
Paul  has  said  in  verse  6  that  Christ  did  not  cling  to 
"  the  equality  with  God  "  when  He  faced  the  redemp- 
tive work  for  man,  but  "  he  emptied  himself  "  *  of  the 
visible  glories  and  the  manifest  prerogatives  of  deity. 
We  may  pass  by  the  various  Kenosis  theories  which 
seek  to  explain  of  what  Christ  emptied  Himself  and 
confine  ourselves   to  the  details  of  the  humihation 

^  "  The  Fourth  Gospel  in  Research  and  Debate,"  p.  1 1. 

^  iaoTov  ikivuiatv.      Vulgate  semetipsum  exinanivit. 


128  PAUL'S  JOY  IN  CHRIST 

mentioned  in  these  two  verses.  We  can  feel  certain 
that  He  did  not  empty  Himself  of  His  divine  nature 
("  the  form  of  God "  of  verse  6),  which  He  could 
not  do  in  the  nature  of  the  case  (no  son  can  change 
the  fact  of  his  sonship),  but  only  "  of  the  insignia  of 
His  majesty  "  (Lightfoot),  the  outward  manifestation 
of  His  deity.  Jesus  did  not  appear  to  men  in  the 
likeness  of  God,  but  of  man.  He  suffered  in  so 
doing  in  ways  that  are  beyond  our  comprehension. 
"  We  may  do  well  to  cherish  the  impression  that  this 
self-emptying  on  the  part  of  the  eternal  Son  of  God, 
for  our  salvation,  involves  realities  which  we  cannot 
conceive  or  put  into  words.  There  was  more  in  this 
emptying  of  Himself  than  we  can  think  or  say  "  (Rainy, 
Philippians,  p.  119).  We  catch  glimpses  of  the 
yearning  of  Christ  for  the  glory  which  He  had  with 
the  Father  before  the  Incarnation  and  even  before 
the  world  was  by  the  Father's  side*  (John  17:  5). 
There  is  a  fullness  of  knowledge^  between  the  Son 
and  the  Father  not  true  of  others  and  Jesus  often 
goes  alone  ^  to  pray  with  the  Father.  How  the  Son 
missed  the  glories  of  heaven  we  can  only  imagine. 
How  the  sin  and  desolation  of  earth  jarred  upon  His 
sensitive  soul  we  do  have  some  comprehension,  but 
only  a  little  after  all,  for  we  have  become  used  to  the 
dullness  and  the  hardness  of  our  world.  Perhaps,  it 
was  in  mercy  to  Jesus  that  there  was  some  humilia- 

'  T.apd  aoi.  '^  i-iyivwafiei  (Matt.  1 1  :  27). 

^  auro?  n6vo<i  (John  6:15). 


PAUL'S  FULL  CUP  1 29 

tion  in  His  Incarnation,  else  He  could  not  have  en- 
dured His  earthly  estate.  We  are  expressly  told  here 
that  the  emptying  was  voluntary  on  Christ's  part. 
The  emphasis  is  on  the  act  (the  verb).  It  applied  to 
the  state  of  glory,  to  some  extent  to  His  knowledge, 
and  to  His  power.  Into  that  subject  I  do  not  here 
enter.  I  do  not  believe  that  Jesus  subjected  Him- 
self to  error  of  any  kind.  He  mentions  His  lack  of 
knowledge  about  the  time  of  His  second  coming 
(Matt.  24 :  36).  He  shows  surprise  and  weariness. 
He  was  a  real  man,  free  from  sin  and  from  errors  of 
ignorance,  I  believe.  No  effort  to  explain  the  com- 
bination of  deity  and  humanity  has  succeeded.  We 
do  not  understand  the  nature  of  God.  We  do  not 
understand  our  own  human  nature  (spirit  and  matter 
in  combination).  It  is  not  surprising  that  we  fail  in 
the  union  of  the  divine  and  the  human.  Certainly 
Dr.  William  Sanday's  excursion '  with  the  "  sublimi- 
nal consciousness  "  does  not  explain  it.  But  let  us 
turn  from  merely  speculative  theology  to  Paul's 
interpretation  of  the  details  involved  in  the  Incarna- 
tion. 

"  Taking  the  form  of  a  servant,"  ^  Paul  says,  by 
way  of  explanation  of  "  emptied  himself."  Here  Paul 
employs  the  same  term  for  "  form "  that  he  did 
in   verse   6.     As    Christ   possessed   the   real   attrib- 

'  "  Christologies  Ancient  and  Modern,"  19 10. 

^  IJ.opipTj-f  donlnu  Xa^Uiv.  Cf.  iJ.op(f^  deob  in  verse  6.  The 
aorist  participle  is  here  simultaneous  with  the  verb  kaivtuasv 
and  explanatory  (Robertson,  "  Grammar,"  pp.  860  f.,  1127). 


I30  PAUL'S  JOY  IN  CHRIST 

utes  of  deity,  so  He  took  upon  Himself  the  real  at- 
tributes of  servantship.  Here  there  is  a  change  in  the 
condition  of  Christ.  He  was  '  in  the  form  of  God,  but 
He  took^  upon  Himself  the  form  of  a  servant.  How- 
ever, we  must  not  understand  that  Christ  lost  "  the 
form  of  God  "  in  so  doing.  He  lost  only  the  appear- 
ance as  God,  not  His  essential  nature  as  God.  It  is 
the  reality  of  Christ's  humanity  that  is  here  affirmed 
by  the  side  of  the  reality  of  His  deity.  He  did  not 
become  an  actual  "  slave  "^  of  any  single  man,  but 
was  an  actual  "  servant "  (or  slave)  of  mankind. 
Paul  thus  "  describes  the  humility  to  which  He  con- 
descended "  (Kennedy,  in  loco).  The  Master  ^  of  all 
became  the  slave  of  all  (Matt.  20:  27  f.;  Mark  10 : 
44  f.).  Jesus  entered  upon  the  condition  of  service 
as  He  had  before  the  condition  of  equality  with  God 
(Vincent,  in  loco  ). 

"  Becoming  in  the  likeness  of  men,"  ^  a  further  ex- 
planation of  the  self-emptying  of  Christ.  Here  again 
Paul  states  that  Jesus  entered''  upon  the  state  of  His 
humanity  as  we  have  it  in  John  i  :  14.  But  the  word 
here  is  "  likeness," '  not  "  form  "  as  in  verse  6.  It  is 
a  real  likeness,  but  not  identity  that  is  meant.  All 
of  Jesus  is  not  human.     Hence  Paul  could  not  use  the 

*  undp^wv.  ^  Xa^<l)v.  ^  douXo<i. 

*  Kbpio<i.  Cf.  John  I  5  :  20  ouk  ecTTtv  SouXo^  /lei^wv  rou 
kupiou  aoTov. 

^  iv  6fiot(Ofj.aTt  dvOpcoTzwv  yevofievoi;. 

^yevdfievoi,  not  U7:dp^ujv.  So  Oeu'S  rjv  and  ffdp^  ej'iveTo  in 
John  1:1,14.  '  6pucwp.aTi. 


PAUL'S   FULL  CUP  I3I 

word  for  "  form."  '  Christ  "  was  no  mere  phantom, 
no  mere  incomplete  copy  of  humanity "  (Kennedy, 
in  loco).  "  To  affirm  hkeness  is  at  once  to  assert 
similarity  and  to  deny  sameness  "  (Dickson,  Baird  Lec- 
tures, 1883).  The  humanity  of  Jesus,  though  thor- 
oughly real  and  not  merely  apparent  as  the  Docetic 
Gnostics  held,  yet  did  not  express  the  whole  of 
Christ's  self.  He  was  still  "  in  the  form  of  God  "  in 
His  essential  nature  in  spite  of  His  Incarnation.  He 
still  has  the  essential  nature  of  God  while  in  the 
similitude  2  of  man.  The  pluraP  here  shows 
Christ's  relation  to  the  race.  Christ  no  longer 
wore  His  "  Godlike  majesty  and  visible  glories " 
(Ellicott),  but  appeared  as  a  man  and  to  most  only 
as  a  man. 

"  And  being  found  in  fashion  as  a  man."  *  Here 
the  word  for  "  fashion  "  ^  refers  more  to  the  outward 
appearance  of  Christ.  It  is  like  the  word  "  habit "  ^ 
as  applied  to  dress.  The  *'  form  of  a  bondservant " 
expressed  the  essential  nature  of  the  servantship  of 
Christ  and  the  "  likeness  of  men  "  showed  the  reality 
of    His   humanity   (Vincent,   in    loco).     This    word 

"^  hi  similitudinem  hominum  f actus  (Vulgate). 

^  a\>dpu)Tzu)v. 

* /cat  ff^yjfxari  e6p£0£\<;  w?  avOpwKo?.  ^  ff^tj/iaTC. 

^  Vulgate  has  i»  habitus  inventus  ut  homo.  Habitus  is 
from  habeo  as  a-puxa  from  e^'"-  The  word  ff/^/^a  is  used  of 
God  in  Test.  XII  Patr.  Zab.  9  oil'^adz  Oeuv  iv  <T)(yjfiaTt 
avdpumuo.  In  Benj.  10  note  km  yr^is  (pavivza  iv  p-opfyj 
dvOpwTzou. 


132  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

"  fashion  "  expresses  the  appeal  that  Christ  made  to 
the  senses,  to  human  observation.  "  His  outward 
guise  was  altogether  human "  (Kennedy,  in  loco). 
The  words  for  "  form  "  and  "  fashion  "  are  contrasted 
by  Paul  in  Romans  12:2:  "  And  be  not  fashioned ' 
according  to  this  world,"  the  outward  expression  in 
conduct  and  manners,  "  but  be  ye  transformed '  by 
the  renewing  of  your  mind,"  the  inward  spiritual 
change.  Jesus  was  discovered'  or  recognized  as  ^ 
a  man,  though  He  was  more  than  man,  and  in  His 
very  humanity  revealed  God  to  men  if  they  had  eyes 
to  see  (cf.  John  14  : 7-9  ;  Matt.  1 1 :  27). 

"  He  humbled  himself"  ^  This  is  not  a  mere 
repetition  of  "  emptied  himself  "  in  verse  7.  This 
verb  expresses  plainly'  and  simply  the  fact  of  the 
Humiliation^  of  Christ.  "The  depth  of  the  self- 
renunciation  "  (Kennedy)  is  brought  out  by  the  fol- 
lowing phrases.  The  great  act  was  voluntary  on 
Christ's  part  and  hence  has  moral  value.  This  idea 
is  set  forth  clearly  in  Hebrews  9:  12  "  having  found 
by  himself  eternal  redemption  "  ^  (the  middle  voice) 

^ /xerafiop^ouffOs.  Cf.  also  Phil.  3:10  (TUfx/JLop^t^ofievo^ 
and  I  Pet.  1:14  (Tuva^rjuariZofievoi.  In  Phil.  3:21  we 
have  fjLezatT^rj/iaTcffsc  and  aufi/iop^ov. 

^  £L)pe0e\<i. 

*  ctf?.     Implying  that  he  was  more  than  man. 

^  iTaneivuxrev  kaurov.  The  emphasis  is  here  on  the  verb  as 
in  verse  7  on  iauruv. 

^  The  Vulgate  has  humiliavit  semetipsum. 

'  aiwviav  kuTpwaiv  eupd/ievog. 


PAUL'S   FULL   CUP  1 33 

and  in  9 114  "he  offered  himself,"'  a  construction 
like  the  one  in  PhiHppians  2  :  8. 

"  Becoming  obedient  unto  death."  ^  Jesus  followed 
the  Father's  will  obediently  in  the  path  that  led 
straight  to  death.  The  hate  and  guilt  of  His  ene- 
mies do  not  at  all  remove  the  dignity  and  the  glory 
of  Christ's  death  for  sinners.  Paul  speaks  of  the 
obedience^  of  Christ  also  in  Romans  5  :  19.  It  was 
an  obedience  that  Jesus  had  to  learn  from  suffering 
as  is  true  of  all  sons  (Heb.  5  :  8)  and  won  Jesus  the 
right  and  the  power  to  offer  eternal  life  to  all  those 
who  obey  Him  (Heb.  5  : 9).  There  were  moments 
when  Jesus  was  tempted  to  turn  back  from  the  road 
that  led  to  death,  moments  of  anguish  that  rent  His 
very  soul  with  a  cry  to  the  Father  (John  I2:2y{.; 
Matt.  26:39;  Mark  I4:35f. ;  Luke  22:42),  times 
that  brought  sweat  like  blood  from  His  forehead 
(Luke  22  :  44)  and  tears  to  His  eyes  (Heb.  5  : 7). 
Jesus  saw  the  end  from  the  beginning,  saw  His 
"  hour  "  coming,  saw  the  gathering  cloud  about  to 
break  upon  His  head,  but  resolutely  set  His  face  to 
go  on  to  Jerusalem  to  meet  it.  The  very  reality  of 
His  humanity  made  Him  flinch  as  He  saw  that  He 
was  to  be  regarded  as  sin  by  the  Father  while  He 
bore  the  sin  of  the  world  in  His  death,  and  made 


'  iauTov  Tzpoarjvsy/zev  with  the  emphasis  on  iaorov. 
^  ysvofi^voii    oTTTJ/zooi}    f^^XP^    Oavdrou.     The    Vulgate    has 
/actus  obediens  usque  ad  mortem. 

^  unaJioy,^.     Note  force  of  ut:6  (luF)  under. 


134.  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

Him  cry  aloud  when  the  Father's  presence  left  Him 
in  the  dread  darkness  and  lonehness  (Matt.  2/ :  46). 
But  Jesus  held  on  His  way  "  unto  death  "  '  and  was 
able  to  look  on  His  death  as  a  "glorification" 
(John  13 :  31  f. ;  17 :  2).  He  went  as  far  as  death  in 
His  humiliation.  "Yea,  the  death  of  the  cross," ^ 
Paul  adds,  as  the  lowest  rung  in  this  Jacob's  Ladder 
of  Christ's  humanity  of  which  Jesus  had  spoken  to 
Nathanael  (John  1:51).  Christ  left  His  place  in 
glory  and  majesty  by  the  Father's  side  with  all  the 
Father's  wealth  of  grandeur  and  became  a  poor  man 
on  earth  (2  Cor.  8  :  9).  He  took  the  estate  of  a  serv- 
ant and  bore  the  likeness  of  men  and  no  longer 
seemed  to  be  God  to  the  multitudes.  He  Himself 
was  like  a  bondservant  and  served  others  on  earth. 
He  humbled  Himself  to  the  end  and  met  death  as  a 
condemned  criminal  with  all  the  shame  of  the  Cross. 
Down,  down  Christ  went  to  the  bottom  of  darkness, 
the  very  depth  of  humiliation  and  shame.  The  body 
of  one  that  hung  on  a  tree  was  accursed  according 
to  the  Mosaic  law  (Deut.  21  :  23)  and  Paul  knew  this 
well  (Gal.  3:13).  Cicero  spoke  of  crucifixion  as  the 
most  cruel  of  punishments  (Verr.  V.  64).  The  Ro- 
man boasted  of  his  right  to  die  a  freeman,  free  from 

^  lii^pt  Oavdrou.  Cf.  fxi^pt?  o.1fiaro<i  (Heb.  12:4)  ot 
those  who  had  not  yet  resisted  unto  blood  and  iJ-e^pt  difffiwv 
(2  Tim.  2:9)"  unto  bonds." 

^  Oavdrou  8i:  aTaupou,  Note  this  use  of  Si  as  addition. 
Cf.  Rom.  3:22;  9  :  30c  Robertson,  "  Grammar,"  pp. 
1183-1185. 


PAUL'S  FULL  CUP  135 

the  very  name  of  cross.'  Paul,  as  a  Roman  citizen, 
was  free  from  this  shame.  He  was  beheaded,  though 
the  tradition  is  that  Peter  was  crucified  head  down- 
ward. The  Jews  stumbled  ^  at  the  cross  of  Christ  and 
the  Greeks  thought  it  foolishness,^  but  Paul  came  to 
see  in  it  the  wisdom  and  the  power  of  God  (i  Cor. 
1:23  f.).  Jesus  saw  the  shame  of  the  Cross  and  felt 
it  keenly,  but  He  endured  it  for  the  sake  of  the  joy 
that  would  be  His  when  He  reached  the  goal  and 
finished  His  atoning  death  (Heb.  12:2).  Therefore 
Jesus  despised  the  shame.^  The  Cross  of  Christ  has 
come  to  be  His  Crown  of  Glory. 

{d)  The  Exaltation  (verses  9-1 1).  Paul  has 
taken  us  down  to  the  bottom  of  the  Valley  of  Death 
into  which  Jesus  went,  the  valley  of  darkness  and 
shame.  He  has  not  forgotten  his  purpose  in  appeal- 
ing to  the  example  of  Christ.  It  is  to  enforce  the 
lesson  of  humility,  "  lowliness  of  mind  "  (2  :  3),  the 
mind  of  Christ  Jesus  (2  :  5).  Jesus  Himself  is  the 
supreme  illustration  of  His  own  saying :  *«  He  that 
humbleth  himself  shall  be  exalted  "  ^  (Luke  14 :  11  ; 
18:  14).  Paul  seems  to  know  this  Logion  of  Jesus 
for  he  says :  "  Wherefore  also  God  highly  exalted 

'  Cf.  Cicero /r(7  Rabir.,  V.  10  Nomen  ipsum  cruets  absit  non 
mo  do  a  cor  pore  civ  turn  Romanorum  sed  etiam  a  cogitationet 
oculis,  auribus. 

''■  (T/idvdaXov, 

*  unifisivtv  axaopov  alff^uvT^?  Arara^povrjffa^, 
^6  Taneivuiv  kaurov  U(puj0vj<TeTai, 


136  PAUL'S  JOY  IN  CHRIST 

him."  *  The  "  wherefore  "  is  not  reason,  but  conse- 
quence (cf.  Heb.  2:9;  12  ;  2).  The  exaltation  is  the 
result  of  the  humiliation.  "  The  idea  of  Christ's  re- 
ceiving His  exaltation  as  a  reward  was  repugnant  to 
the  Reformed  theologians  "  (Vincent,  in  loco),  but 
there  is  no  objection  certainly  to  regarding  it  as  the 
natural  result  of  His  service.  "  Christ's  saying  in 
Matthew  23:  12  was  gloriously  fulfilled  in  His  own 
case  "  (Meyer,  in  loco).  It  is  not  clear  whether  Paul 
means  to  say  that  Jesus  had  a  higher  state  of  glory 
than  before  His  Incarnation  or  not.  That  is  the 
natural  way  to  take  the  verb  ^  here.  He  had  not  lost 
"  the  form  of  God,"  but  He  had  "  emptied  himself  " 
of  the  majesty  and  dignity  in  His  Pre- incarnate  state. 
This  He  received  again  and  sat  in  transcendent  glory 
at  the  right  hand  of  God  on  high  (cf.  Rom.  i  :  3f. ; 
8  :  34 ;  Col.  3  :  i  ;  i  Cor.  14  :  25).  Paul  does  not 
here  say  in  what  the  "  superior "  dignity  consists 
which  Christ  did  not  have  before  His  Incarnation.  I 
agree  with  Ellicott  that  it  is  His  Humanity  which 
was  permanently  added  to  His  Divinity.  He  is  the 
Son  of  man  now  as  well  as  the  Son  of  God  which 
He  was  before.  The  argument  in  Hebrews  2:  5-18 
illustrates  the  point  which  comes  out  also  in  Paul's 
own  argument  here. 

"  And  gave  unto  him  the  name  which  is  above 

*  8io  ual  6  ^eo?  avrdv  6nepu</iiij(T£v.      Vulgate  exaltavit. 

^  bn£pu(j)u»(T£v.      Cf.  Psalm  97  (96)  :  9  aipoSpa  UT:£pu4'<J^d'>]9 


PAUL'S  FULL  CUP  137 

every  name."  '  The  obvious  implication  of  this  lan- 
guage is  that  the  gracious  bestowal  of  this  name 
upon  Christ  as  the  prerogative  of  the  Father  was  be- 
cause of  the  Incarnation.  The  Son  had  voluntarily 
given  up  His  position  of  "  equality  with  the  Father  " 
and  taken  a  subordinate  one  on  earth  (cf.  John 
14  :  28,  "  for  the  Father  is  greater  than  I  ").  "  Christ 
obtained  as  a  gift  what  He  renounced  as  a  prize  " 
(Vincent,  in  loco).  But  what  is  "  the  name  which  is 
above  every  name "  ?  There  is  great  diversity  of 
opinion.  Lightfoot  and  Haupt  make  it  simply 
"  tjile  "  or  "  dignity  "  as  "  name  "  ^  often  represents 
"  po.ws^'j "  "  authority."  Vincent  takes  it  to  be 
"  Jesus  Christ,"  "  combining  the  human  name,  which 
points  to  the  conquest  won  in  the  flesh,  and  the 
Messianic  name, '  The  Anointed  of  God.'  The  two 
factors  of  the  name  are  successively  taken  up  in  verses 
10,  II."  EUicott  makes  it  Jesus,  "  the  name  of  His 
humiliation,  and  henceforth  that  of  His  exaltation 
and  glory."  Kennedy  {in  loco)  considers  it  "  amaz- 
ing "  how  one  can  hold  this  view,  but  the  very  next 
verse  ("  in  the  name  of  Jesus  ")  certainly  lends  colour 
to  this  interpretation.  Besides,  it  strengthens  greatly 
the  point  of  Paul's  use  of  the  example  of  Jesus  if  the 
added  glory  after  Christ's  Ascension  is  precisely  the 
human  nature  of  Jesus  which  was  His  state  of  hu- 
miliation.    This  point  appeals  to  me,  I  confess,  in 

*  flai  iy^apiaazo  aoril)  ro  ovofia  to  UTzep  irav  6vo[ia. 
^  6vo[xa.     So  in  the  papyri  as  in  the  Septuagint. 


138  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

spite  of  the  fact  that  the  name  "  Jesus  "  was  already 
(Matt.  I  :  21)  given  to  Christ  before  His  Ascension. 
Still,  there  is  force  in  the  argument  for  "  Lord  " '  as 
the  word  meant  by  Paul  in  lieu  of  the  Tetragramma- 
ton  (the  unpronounceable  name  of  Jehovah).  The 
Jews  often  used  "  the  Name  "  when  referring  to  this 
word.^  Jeremy  Taylor  so  interpreted  it :  "  He  hath 
changed  the  ineffable  name  into  a  name  utterable  by 
man,  and  desirable  by  all  the  world ;  the  majesty  is 
arrayed  in  robes  of  mercy,  the  tetragrammaton  or 
adorable  mystery  of  the  patriarchs  is  made  fit  for 
pronunciation  and  expression  when  it  becometh  the 
name  of  the  Lord's  Christ."  The  confession  of  Jesus 
as  "  Lord  "  in  verse  1 1  gives  colour  to  this  view. 
But  even  so,  we  must  not  forget  that  it  is  Jesus  who 
still  preserves  His  human  nature  who  is  termed 
Lord.  He  is  our  Elder  Brother  at  the  right  hand  of 
God. 

*'  That  in  the  name  of  Jesus  every  knee  should 
bow."^  It  is  not  "  at"  the  name  of  Jesus,  not  mere 
genuflection.  There  is  no  essential  merit  in  that  atti- 
tude every  time  the  name  of  Jesus  is  pronounced  or 
heard.  It  is  reverent  worship  that  is  here  presented. 
Jesus  is  the  object  of  worship.  Surely  it  is  worth  while 
to  note  that  Paul  makes  a  point  to  use  the  name  for 
Christ's  human  life,  the  name  Jesus.     Many  had  this 

'  Kt')ptn<s.      Used  in  the  Septuagint  for  Jehovah  (Jahwe). 
*  Cf.  C.  Taylor,  "  Sayings  of  the  Jewish  Fathers,"  iv.,  7. 


PAUL'S  FULL  CUP  1 39 

name,  the  Greek  form  of  Joshua,*  but  they  were  not 
saviours  from  sin  (Matt.  1:21).  Jesus  was  wor- 
shiped while  in  the  flesh  and  He  is  still  the  Son  of 
man.  The  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  uses  constantly 
the  name  Jesus  and  defends  gloriously  the  dignity 
of  Christ's  humanity.  Jesus  purchased  the  right  to 
this  universal  adoration  with  the  price  of  His  blood. 
It  is  interesting  to  compare  Revelation  5,  where 
Jesus  is  pictured  as  receiving  worship  in  heaven  from 
all  created  things,  with  this  verse.  This  idea  of  the 
mystic  sympathy  of  the  whole  universe  with  the 
Cosmic  Christ  occurs  also  in  Romans  8 :  21  f. ;  i  Cor. 
15:24;  Ephesians  5  :  20-22 ;  Hebrews  2:8.  Paul's 
language  in  Philippians  2:  lof.  seems  to  reflect  the 
Gnostic  terminology  so  freely  condemned  in  Colos- 
sians  and  Ephesians.  "  And  that  every  tongue  should 
confess  that  Jesus  Christ  is  Lord."  ^  The  Lordship 
of  Jesus  came  to  be  the  test  of  loyalty.  The  pass- 
word in  the  dark  days  of  persecution  came  to  be 
"  Jesus  as  Lord."  This  was  the  Shibboleth  of  the 
faithful.  It  is  so  yet.  Vain  is  the  praise  of  those 
who  refuse  to  bow  the  knee  to  Jesus  and  to  confess 
Him  as  Lord.  One  is  reminded  of  Charles  Lamb 
saying  that,  if  Shakespeare  appeared  in  the  company 
of  literati,  they  would  all  rise,  but,  if  Jesus  came, 
they  would  all  kneel.     This  word  for  "  Lord  "  does 

'  kai    Tzaaa   yXmaaa    i^ofioXoyyjaTjzai    ozt    Kupio<s    Vrjffous 
XpiffTog. 


140  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

not  in  itself  imply  divinity.  It  was  used  for  Mas- 
ter as  opposed  to  slave  (Eph.  6 : 9),  and  even  for 
"sir"  in  address  (Matt.  13  :  27).  But  in  the  Septu- 
agint  it  was  a  common  translation  for  the  Hebrew 
words  for  God.  It  was  used  also  for  Caesar.  "  Lord 
Caesar  "  was  a  common  term  in  the  papyri  and  in- 
scriptions. The  Emperor  cult  was  the  chief  religion 
of  the  Roman  world  in  the  time  of  Paul.  Life  was 
offered  to  Polycarp  if  he  would  only  say  "  Lord 
Caesar."  ^  "  No  one  is  able  to  say  *  Lord  Jesus  '  ex- 
cept by  the  Holy  Spirit  "  (i  Cor.  12:3).  To  confess 
Jesus  as  Lord  was  the  mark  of  a  true  believer,  a 
Christian  in  reality  (Rom.  10  :  9).  "  God  made  this 
Jesus  both  Lord  and  Christ  "  (Acts  2  :  36).  "  Christ 
the  Lord"  the  angels  said  (Luke  2:11)  the  Saviour 
would  be.  It  is  not  apotheosis  or  deification  of  Jesus 
that  we  here  see,  but  the  taking  up  of  the  humanity 
of  Jesus  into  His  deity  with  new  glory,  the  glory  of 
the  humihation,  the  glory  of  the  accomplished  re- 
demption, the  glory  of  the  battle-scarred  hero  whose 
scars  are  his  crown.  It  is  all  "  to  the  glory  of  God 
the  Father."  The  confession  is  for  the  glory  of  God. 
It  is  all  of  the  Father's  will  and  for  His  glory  and 
gives  Him  joy.  The  glory  of  Jesus  gives  glory  to 
the  Father. 

'  Ti  y/ip  nakov  iffTiv.     Kupio^  Kalaap  ;  Martyrium  Poly- 
carpi,  viii.  2. 


VI 

REALIZING  GOD'S  PLAN  IN  LIFE 
(2:  12-18) 

PAUL  is  eminently  practical  as  well  as  really 
profound.  He  is  equally  at  home  in  the  dis- 
cussion of  the  great  problems  of  theology  and 
in  the  details  of  the  Christian  life.  He  is  a  practical 
mystic  who  does  not  leave  his  mysticism  in  the  clouds, 
but  applies  it  to  the  problem  in  hand.  There  is  in 
Paul  no  divorce  between  learning  and  life.  Specula- 
tive theology  as  philosophy  he  knows  and  uses  as  a 
servant  to  convey  his  highest  ideas,  but  he  never  for- 
gets the  ethics  of  the  man  in  the  street  or  at  the 
desk.  He  has  just  written  a  marvellous  passage  on 
the  Humiliation  and  Exaltation  of  Christ  Jesus,  scal- 
ing the  heights  of  Christ's  equality  with  God  and 
sounding  the  depths  of  the  human  experience  of 
Jesus,  from  the  throne  of  God  to  the  death  on  the 
Cross  and  back  again.  But  Paul  has  no  idea  of  leav- 
ing this  great  doctrinal  passage  thus,  "  So  then,* 
my  beloved,"  ^  he  goes  on  with  an  exhortation  based 
on   the   experience   of  Christ.     He    returns  to  the 

*  w(rTE.     On   the  use  of  wars,  at  the  beginning  of  principal 
clauses  (paratactic  use)  see  Robertson,  "  Grammar,"  p.  999. 
^  dyanrjTut  finv.     Vulgate  has  carissimi  met. 
141 


142  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

practical  note  of  2:5.  God  has  a  plan  in  each  of 
our  lives  as  in  that  of  Jesus.  It  is  worth  a  great 
deal  for  us  to  recognize  this  blessed  fact.  Lightfoot 
puts  it  that  as  you  have  the  example  of  Christ's  humil- 
iation to  guide  you  and  His  exaltation  to  encour- 
age you,  so  continue. 

I.    Two  Kinds  of  Obedience  (verses  12^). 

Paul  picks  out  the  obedience  of  Christ  in  verse  8 
("  obedient  unto  death  "  ')  as  the  point  of  contact  for 
his  exhortation.  This  sort  of  obedience  is  the  result 
of  listening  or  hearkening  and  not  absolute  obedience 
to  authority.^  The  obedience  that  Paul  commends 
in  the  Philippians  is  obedience  to  God,  though  he 
uses  the  word  here  absolutely.  Certainly  it  is  a  re- 
markable compliment  that  Paul  pays  the  church  at 
Philippi.  Technically  here  the  structure'  of  the 
sentence  shows  that  the  clause  about  presence  and 
absence  belongs  to  "  work  out."  Still,  the  idea 
covers  obedience  also.  The  energy  which  Paul 
commands  is  a  form  of  the  obedience.  So  then  we 
may  apply  the  picture  to  that.  Vincent  objects 
that  in  such  case  Paul  would  say  that  the  Philipjiiatis 
did  better  in  his  absence  than  in  his  presence.  By 
implication  he  does  say  that.     He  directly  affirms 

*  vTT-qkoo<;.  Here  br^r^kobaart.  The  use  of  br.o  {suV)  sug- 
gests reverent  hearkening. 

^  fiTJ  goes  with  the  imperative  xarepyd^effOe. 


REALIZING   GOD'S   PLAN   IN   LIFE  I43 

that  they  "  always "  *  obeyed  God.  He  exhorts 
energetic  action  "  not  as  in  my  presence  only,"  ^  not 
mere  "  eye-service,"  when  the  master  (or  mistress)  is 
present.  They  are  not  like  children  who  obey  till 
the  mother's  back  is  turned.  Spurgeon  tells  of  a 
servant  girl  who  gave  as  the  proof  of  her  conversion 
that  now  she  swept  under  the  mats  and  behind  the 
door.  It  is  poor  obedience  that  only  does  what  will 
be  noticed,  as  little  as  possible.  Paul  is  not  regarded 
as  a  mere  moral  policeman.  The  pastor  is  not  a  man 
simply  to  watch  over  the  church  and  keep  it  in  line. 
There  are  people  who  go  to  church  only  when  the 
pastor  is  present  and  will  notice  their  absence.  The 
preacher  is  surely  more  than  a  spiritual  watch-dog  to 
bark  at  the  sheep  and  keep  them  together.  Obedi- 
ence like  that  is  very  shallow  and  superficial. 

"  But  now  much  more  is  my  absence."  ^  This  is 
real  obedience  of  the  heart.  It  is  the  spirit  of  the 
workman  who  does  his  best  work  on  the  high  ceihng 
where  no  one  will  see  it  save  God.  Paul  urges  this 
highest  form  of  spiritual  energy  at  the  time  when  he 
is  away.  There  are  men  who  do  their  best  work 
when  left  to  their  own  initiative.  This  is  true  only 
of  the  choice  spirits  who  listen  to  the  voice  of  con- 
science.    These  are  the  salt  of  the  earth  who  savour 

*  ndvTOT£, 

^  [j.7j  u)<;  iv  Tjj  TrapnoiTia  fiovov.  Note  napouffta  the  word 
used  of  the  Second  Coming. 

^  d).Xd  vuv  TtolXip  (idXXuv  iv  tjj  aTzouaia.  Note  the  pun 
Tcapouaia^  dnouaia. 


144  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

the  whole  lump.  There  are  men  and  women  in  our 
churches  who  remain  true  when  pastors  come  and  go 
and  when  others  fall  away. 

2.    \Vorking  In  and  Working  Out  (verses  12^  i.). 

In  Paul's  absence  he  desires  that  the  Philippians 
shall  press  right  on  with  the  work  of  their  own  sal- 
vation in  so  far  as  the  development  is  committed  to 
their  hands.  The  eye  should  rest  upon  the  final  goal 
and  so  Paul  uses  a  verb  *  that  puts  the  emphasis  on 
the  final  result.  Salvation  ^  is  used  either  of  the  en- 
trance into  the  service  of  God,  the  whole  process,  or 
the  consummation  at  the  end.  The  Philippians  are 
to  carry  into  effect  and  carry  on  to  the  end  the  work 
of  grace  already  begun.  Peter  (2  Pet.  I  :  10)  like- 
wise exhorted  his  readers  to  make  their  calling  and 
election  sure.  They  must  not  look  to  Paul  to  do 
their  part  in  the  work  of  their  salvation.  His  ab- 
sence cuts  no  figure  in  the  matter  of  their  personal 
responsibility.  It  is  "  your  own  ^  salvation."  It  is 
the  aim  of  all  to  win  this  goal  at  last.  If  so,  each 
must  look  to  his  own  task  and  do  his  own  work. 
The  social  aspect  of  religion  is  true  beyond  a  doubt. 
We  are  our  brother's  keeper  and  we  do  owe  a  debt 
of  love  and  service  to  one  another  that  we  can  never 

'  kaT-epydS^etrOs,      The  perfective  use  of  /fard. 

"^  fjujzrjf/cav.      Used  also  of  safety.      Cf.  I  :  18. 

'  iaunuv.  Not  =  d^.^rjhov,  though  grammatically  possible. 
It  is  reflexive  here,  not  reciprocal.  Cf.  Robertson,  "  Gram- 
mar," pp.  689  f. 


REALIZING  GOD'S  PLAN  IN  LIFE  145 

fully  discharge  (Rom.  13:8).  But  it  is  also  true  that 
each  of  us  is  his  own  keeper  and  stands  or  falls  to 
God.  Kipling  has  it  thus  :  "  For  the  race  is  run  by- 
one  and  one  and  never  by  two  and  two." 

Work  it  out  "  with  fear  and  trembling,"  *  Paul 
urges ;  *•  with  a  nervous  and  trembling  anxiety  to 
do  right  "  (Lightfoot).  People  to-day  do  not  tremble 
much  in  the  presence  of  God  and  most  have  little  sense 
of  fear.  Jonathan  Edwards'  great  sermon  on  "  Sinners 
in  the  Hands  of  an  Angry  God"  finds  httle  echo 
to-day.  We  live  in  a  light-hearted  and  complacent 
age.  The  Puritans  went  too  far  to  one  extreme,  but 
we  are  going  too  much  to  the  other.  We  all  need 
afresh  a  sense  of  solemn  responsibility  to  Almighty 
God.  Paul  did  not  feel  blindly  complacent  about 
himself  (i  Cor.  9 :  27).  Religion  is  both  hfe  and 
creed.  The  creed  without  the  life  amounts  to  little. 
We  touch  a  hard  problem  here,  to  be  sure,  but  Paul 
feels  no  incompatibility  between  the  most  genuine 
trust  and  the  most  energetic  work.  The  two  supple- 
ment or  rather  complement  each  other,  though  we 
cannot  divide  them.  Divine  sovereignty  is  the  fun- 
damental fact  in  religion  with  Paul.  He  starts  with 
that.  But  human  free  agency  is  the  inevitable  corol- 
lary, as  Paul  sees  it.  The  two  are  not  inconsistent 
in  his  theology.  Hence  Paul  is  not  a  fatalist  like 
the  Essenes  and  the  modern  Hyper-Calvinists  nor  is 

'  [xsra    (fo^uu   ndX   rpoixou.     The   rp6ixo<s  strengthens  the 


146  PAUL'S  JOY  IN  CHRIST 

he  a  mere  Socinian  like  the  Sadducees.  The  Phari- 
sees held  to  both  divine  sovereignty  and  human  free 
agency  as  most  modern  Christians  do  in  varying 
degrees,  to  be  sure.  Paul  seems  to  see  no  contra- 
diction between  them  as  Jesus  did  not  (cf.  Matt. 
1 1 :  27  f.).  All  our  modern  efforts  to  explain  the 
harmony  between  these  two  necessary  doctrines  fail, 
but  we  must  hold  them  both  true  nevertheless,  God 
must  be  supreme  to  be  God  at  all.  Man  must  be 
free  to  be  man  at  all.  The  difficulty  probably  lies  in 
our  imperfect  processes  of  reasoning  for  two  such 
far-reaching  truths.  But  Paul  gives  the  divine  sov- 
ereignty as  the  reason'  or  ground  for  the  human 
free  agency.  He  exhorts  the  Philippians  to  work 
out  their  own  salvation  with  fear  and  trembling  pre- 
cisely because  God  works  in  them  both  the  willing 
and  the  doing  ^  and  for  His  good  pleasure.  We  can 
at  least  feel  that  the  working  of  God's  will  has  pro- 
vided the  whole  plan  of  salvation  in  which  we  are 
included  and  at  which  we  are  at  work.  We  toil  in 
the  sphere  of  God's  will.  But  far  more  is  true  than 
that,  though  we  are  conscious  also  that  our  own 
wills  have  free  play  in  this  sphere.  God  presses  His 
will  upon  ours.     We  feel  the  impact  of  the  divine 


^  ytiip.  Not  so  close  and  formal  as  vri.  Paratactic,  not 
hypotactic. 

'^ /2ai  TO  diXetv  Hoi  to  ivepyelv.  The  articular  infinitive 
singles  out  more  sharply  both  activities.  We  need  not  press 
the  difference  between  Oi?.io  and  ^ovXofiat. 


REALIZING   GOD'S   PLAN   IN   LIFE  I47 

energy  upon  our  wills  which  are  quickened  into  ac- 
tivity thereby.  A  child  can  grasp  this,  and  rest  upon 
it.  A  boy  of  four  said  joyfully  to  his  mother,  "  When 
we  do  anything,  it's  really  God  doing  it."  So  then 
in  one  sense  God  does  it  all.  God  is  the  one  who 
energizes '  in  you  both  the  impulse  and  the  energy 
to  carry  out  the  impulse.  No  one  knows  what 
energy  is.  It  is  the  scientific  name  for  God.  It  is 
ceaseless  as  the  sea,  restless  as  the  rapids  of  Niagara. 
One  of  the  theories  of  matter  is  that  all  matter  is  in 
a  vortex  of  inconceivable  velocity,  whirling  round 
and  round  these  bombarding  electrons.  What  makes 
them  whirl  so  ?  The  particles  of  radium  can  be  seen 
darting  violently  into  space.  We  were  dead  in  tres- 
passes and  sins  till  God's  Spirit  touched  us  and  we 
leaped  to  life  in  Christ.  This  is  the  mystery  of  grace. 
They  that  are  in  the  flesh  cannot  please  God  (Rom. 
8 :  7  f.).  God  plants  in  our  souls  the  germ  of  spiri- 
tual life  and  He  does  not  let  it  die.  His  Spirit  broods 
over  us  and  energizes  us  to  grow  and  work  out  what 
God  has  worked  in  us.  This  is  the  ground  of  hope 
and  joy  that  makes  Romans  8  so  different  from 
Romans  7.  We  are  in  league  with  God.  God's 
grace  is  not  an  excuse  for  doing  nothing.  It  is 
rather  the  reason  for  doing  all.  In  religion  as  in 
nature  we  are  co-workers  with  God.     We  plant  the 

'  6  ivepywv.  Works  in  or  inworks.  Note  James'  mention 
of  energetic  prayer  (Jas.  5  :  16).  Cf.  'EvepyzlcrOai  in  the 
New  Testament  by  John  Ross  (^Expositor,  Jan.,  1909). 


148  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

seed  and  plan  the  plant  and  hoe  it  and  harvest  it. 
But  God  gave  us  the  seed  and  the  soil  and  sends  the 
rain  and  the  sunshine  and  supplies  that  wondrous 
thing  that  we  call  life  and  makes  it  grow  to  perfec- 
tion. "  God  has  more  life  than  anybody,"  said  a 
child.  It  is  idle  to  split  hairs  over  our  part  and 
God's  part.  We  must  respond  to  the  touch  of  God's 
Spirit  else  we  remain  dead  in  sin.  Jesus  is  the 
author  and  the  finisher  of  faith  (Heb,  12:  2),  of  our 
faith,  but  we  must  believe  all  the  same  and  keep  on 
looking  to  Him,  the  goal  of  faith  and  endeavour. 
There  is  no  higher  standard  of  rectitude  than  God's 
good  pleasure*  by  which  He  regulates  our  lives. 
Happy  is  the  man  who  finds  God's  plan  for  his  life 
and  falls  in  with  it. 

3.    Cheerfulness  Under  Orders  (verse  14). 

Having  committed  our  lives  to  the  control  of  God's 
will  we  are  under  orders.  It  is  unmilitary  and  peev- 
ish to  fret  at  God's  commands.  "  Do  all  things  ^ 
without  murmurings." '  The  allusion  may  be  to  the 
conduct  of  Israel  in  the  wilderness  (cf.  Ex.  l6:7ff. ; 


'  euSo/cta.  Picture  of  serenity  and  power,  common  to  the 
will  of  God. 

^  -ctvra  TTocslTe.      Linear  action.      Habit. 

'  Xwp)?  yoyyufffiufv,  Onomatopoetic  word  like  murmur. 
Ionic  word  as  is  the  verb  y(iy)'i>!^(u.  The  Athenians  used 
■rov0upi(7ii6<i.  Cf.  Thumb,  "  Hellenismus,"  p.  215.  The 
verb  occurs  fairly  often  in  the  vernacular  kuiviq.  Moulton  and 
Milligan,  "  Vocabulary,"  p.  I  30. 


REALIZING  GOD'S  PLAN   IN   LIFE  I49 

Num.  16:5,  10)-  The  Israelites  murmured  bitterly 
against  Moses  and  against  God  repeatedly  and  with 
dire  results.  "  Neither  murmur  ye,  as  some  of  them 
murmured,'  and  perished  by  the  destroyer"  (i  Cor. 
10:  10).  These  inward  murmurings  against  God's 
will  would  easily  turn  to  grumblings  towards  each 
other.  People  do  not  usually  stop  with  resentment 
against  God,  but  wish  to  blame  somebody.  Dis- 
union had  already  manifested  itself  in  the  church 
at  Philippi.  If  God  is  supreme  and  does  all 
things  why  did  He  allow  this  thing  to  happen  ? 
It  is  easier  to  ask  than  to  answer  that  question. 
The  next  step  is  to  become  sour  towards  one  an- 
other. 

"  Without  disputings."  ^  This  word  is  used  for 
questionings,  then  doubtings,  then  disputings.  This 
is  the  usual  course  of  our  intellectual  revolt  against 
God.  Probably  the  moral  revolt  (murmurings)  comes 
first.  The  sceptical  spirit  follows  resentment  against 
some  crossing  of  our  will  by  God's  will.  The  final 
result  is  "  intellectual  rebellion  "  (Lightfoot). 
Thoughts  of  hesitation  2  or  doubt  turn  to  distrust. 
Distrust  ripens  into  open  disputes  when  a  public 
stand  is  taken  with  others  against  God  (cf.  Hatch, 
"  Essays  in  Biblical  Greek,"  p.  8).  Doubt  leads  to  dis- 
pute even  over  trifles  (Kennedy).     So  then,  as  good 

^  /ji>j5e  yoyyu^zTS,  /zaddnep  Tivk<i  auTwv  iyoyyuffav. 

^  3ia?.oy:(Tiid)v. 

*  The  Vulgate  has  hasitationibus. 


I50  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

soldiers,  Christians  are  to  carry  out  the  orders  of  the 
Captain  of  their  salvation.  Explanations,  if  they 
come  at  all,  come  after  obedience,  not  before.  Into 
the  Valley  of  Death  rode  the  Six  Hundred. 

"  Theirs  not  to  make  reply, 
Theirs  not  to  reason  why, 
Theirs  but  to  do  and  die." 

Soldiers  go  to  the  charge  with  a  smile  on  their  faces. 

4.    Perfection    in    the    Midst   of   Imperfection 

(verses  15-16^). 

Paul  here  expresses  his  purpose '  about  the  Philip- 
pians.  It  is  a  double  purpose,  their  own  highest 
development  and  the  greatest  service  to  others.  The 
first  is  a  prerequisite  to  the  other,  though  they  can- 
not be  wholly  separated.  They  are  to  "  become  "  ^ 
"blameless  and  harmless."^  They  are  not  so  in  the 
state  of  nature  and  do  not  easily  become  so  in  a  state 
of  grace.  Certainly  none  are  absolutely  free  from 
blame  in  the  eye  of  God  and  men  can  usually  find 
some  fault  with  most  of  us.  But,  at  any  rate,  we  can 
give  men  as  little  ground  as  possible  to  pick  flaws  in 
our  character.  Whimsical  critics  cannot  be  satisfied, 
but  we  do  have  to  regard  the  sober  judgment  of  God's 
people  in  ethical  matters.  Lightfoot  takes  "  harm- 
less "  to  refer  to  the  intrinsic  character  as  in  Matthew 

*  'iva.  '^  yivTjffde,  not  ^te. 

•'  ajxeiJ-Tzrot  r<a\  anipaioi.     Vulgate  sine  querula  et  simplices. 


REALIZING   GOD'S   PLAN   IN   LIFE  151 

10:  16  "  harmless  as  doves."  The  word  means  Hter- 
ally  "  unmixed,"  '  "  unadulterated  "  like  pure  milk  or 
pure  wine  or  unalloyed  metal.  In  Romans  16:19 
Paul  says :  "  I  would  have  you  wise  unto  that  which 
is  good,  and  simple^  unto  that  which  is  evil,"  a  noble 
motto  for  young  and  old.  It  is  a  great  mistake  to 
feel  that  one  must  know  evil  by  experience  in  order 
to  appreciate  good.  An  unsullied  character  a  man 
wants  in  his  wife  and  the  wife  equally  so  in  her  hus- 
band. It  is  this  sheer  simplicity  of  character  that  is 
so  delightful  in  children  and, /?ar  excellence,  in  the 
"  children  of  God  "^  in  the  full  spiritual  import  of  this 
term.  The  children  of  Israel,  when  they  murmured, 
were  not  acting  like  children  of  God.  Paul  here 
quotes  *  Deuteronomy  32 :  5  and  applies  it  to  the 
Philippians.  The  children  of  Israel  were  full  of 
blemish,  while  the  Philippians  are  to  be  "  without 
blemish"^  like  the  freewill  offering  (Lev.  22: 21). 
The  Israelites  had  themselves  become  "  a  crooked 
and  perverse  generation."  But  the  Philippians  must 
not  fall  to  that  low  level,  as  they  will  if  they  give 
way  to  inward  discontent.     They  must  exhibit  marks 

^  a  privative  and  Kepdwufti.  The  word  occurs  in  the 
papyri. 

^  dirispai()o<s  8e  el?  to  kaRd'j. 

^  rifzva  dsnu.  Both  ri/ivov  and  olog  *'  signify  a  relation 
based  on  parentage  "  (Vincent).  Both  are  used  also  in  the 
ethical  sense  of  the  spiritual  relation  to  God.  Cf.  Vincent,  in 
loco. 

*  ouK  abrm  ri/iva  (KDp.y^Ta,  yevea  trkoXia  Kai  Sisffrpa/xfxivi^. 

^ap.ujpLa.      Cf.  Eph.  1:4;   5  :  27  ;   Col.  I  :  22. 


152  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

of  perfection  "  in  the  midst '  of  a  crooked  and  per- 
verse generation."  It  is  an  indocile  or  froward  and 
so  *♦  crooked  "  ^  (cf.  Acts  2 :  40 ;  i  Pet.  2:18)  genera- 
tion. The  word  was  used  of  crooked  paths  (Luke 
3 : 5)  and  so  of  crooked  steps  and  crooked  ways. 
The  word  "  perverse  "  ^  means  twisted  or  distorted 
and  is  a  bolder  word  like  the  Scotch  "  thrawn,"  with 
a  twist  in  the  inner  nature  (Kennedy).  Surely  our 
own  generation  is  not  without  its  moral  twist  and 
means  many  straight  men  when  so  many  are  crooked 
("  crooks  "),  twisted  out  of  shape. 

Paul  changes  his  figure,  but  goes  on  with  the  same 
idea,  "  among  whom  ye  are  seen  as  lights  in  the 
world."  *  These  are  the  very  people,  the  twisted  and 
blinded  by  the  darkness  of  sin,  who  need  the  light. 
Jesus  is  the  real  light  of  the  world  (John  8:  12),  but 
the  followers  of  Christ  also  pass  on  the  torch  and  so 
bear  light  to  others  (Matt.  5  :  14).  Here  the  Philip- 
pians  are  pictured  as  "  luminaries  "  *  rather  than  as 
lights^  in  the  world  of  darkness.     As  the  moon  and 

^  !j.iaov.  Used  as  a  preposition  like  so  many  other  adverbs 
in  the  koivij.  Cf.  Robertson,  "  Grammar,"  p.  644.  See 
Epictetus,  Bk.  II,  ch.  xxii,  ^  10  for  similar  use  of  fiiffov. 

^  (T/cohdg.     The  opposite  of  opOo'i, 

'  3c£ffTpapL,aivrj^.  Perfect  passive  participle  from  ^laarpiipio. 
Cf.  Epictetus  III,  6,  8  ol  fxij  -Kavrd-affi  dceffrpa/xfiivut  tu)v 
a\)Upm-(i)v. 

*  iv  <H<i  <paiv£ffOt  6)<;  (pioari^psis  ev  R6aiiu). 

^ ^loarr^psii.  Cf.  Gen.  1:14,  16;  Dan.  12:3;  Rev. 
21  :  II. 

^  (pSixa.      Cf.  ipwq  in  Matt.  5:14. 


REALIZING  GOD'S   PLAN   IN  LIFE  I53 

the  stars  "  appear  "  '  in  the  night,  so  the  Christians 
come  out  to  give  light  in  the  darkness.  In  the  dark 
night  of  sin  the  church  of  Phihppi  is  a  hghthouse  in 
the  breakers, "  holding  forth  the  word  of  life."  ^  The 
gospel  has  the  principle  of  life  in  it.  John's  Gospel 
unites  light  and  life  as  descriptive  of  the  Logos 
(1:4)  and  Christ  offers  to  men  "  the  light  of  hfe  " 
(John  8:12).  Paul  naturally  blends  the  two  figures 
here.  Vincent  rightly  calls  it  "hypercritical"  to 
change  the  figure  in  "  holding  forth."  ^  "  It  is  common 
to  personify  a  luminary  as  a  lightbearer."  The  figure 
can  be  either  holding  on  to  the  word  of  life  or  pre- 
senting the  word  of  life.  In  this  latter  sense  one 
naturally  thinks  of  the  Statue  of  Liberty  in  New  York 
Harbour,  holding  forth  the  torch  of  freedom.  Every 
church  is  a  hghthouse  in  a  dark  place.  The  darker 
the  place  the  more  the  light  is  needed.  It  is  sad  to 
see  so  many  churches  deserting  the  down-town  dis- 
tricts where  they  are  so  much  needed.  Rescue  work 
must  be  carried  on  where  sin  has  done  its  worst. 
It  is  like  fighting  the  plague.  Thank  God  for  the 
men  and  women  who  do  take  the  light  into  the  dark 
corners  of  our  cities.  What  would  our  modern  cities 
be  like  without  our  churches  ?  The  answer  is  the 
cities  of  Japan,  of  China,  of  India  to-day.     The  word 

^  (paivtffOe,  not  (faivers  (shine). 

^  i:7z^^uvTe<}.     Literally  to    hold  upon  or  apply  to   and  so 
fasten  attention  (Luke  14:7;  Acts  3:5;    19 :  22). 


154  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

of  life  quickens  to  life  and  brings  light  to  the  dark- 
ened soul. 

5.     Paul's  Pride  (verse  16''), 

"  For  a  ground  of  glorying  in  the  day  of  Christ." ' 
This  clause  is  related  to  all  of  verse  15  and  the  pre- 
ceding part  of  16.  It  is  epexegetical  or  further 
purpose.  The  day  of  accounts  comes  to  figure  more 
largely  in  Paul's  mind  as  he  grows  older  (Kennedy). 
The  writer  of  Hebrews  speaks  of  the  sleepless  watch 
of  the  shepherds  of  souls  •'  as  they  that  shall  give  ac- 
count ;  that  they  may  do  this  with  joy,  and  not  with 
grief;  for  this  were  unprofitable  for  you  "  (Heb.  13:  17). 
Paul  longs  2  to  have  "  whereof  to  glory  ^  in  the  day 
of  Christ."  The  success  of  the  Philippians  will  give 
Paul  something  tangible  to  present  to  Christ.  They 
will  be  stars  in  his  crown.  He  means  by  "  day  of 
Christ  "  the  judgment  day,  commonly  termed  the  day 
of  the  Lord  outside  of  this  Epistle.  Paul  does  not 
wish  to  be  saved  "  so  as  by  fire  "  with  all  his  works 
gone  (i  Cor.  3:15).  When  that  day  comes  and 
Paul  looks  back  upon  his  work  in  Philippi,  he  does 
wish  to  feel  "  that  I  did  not  run  in  vain  neither  labour 
in  vain."  He  has  the  metaphor^  of  the  stadium  be- 
fore him  as  in  Galatians  2  :  2  when  he  expresses  the 

'  eiV  rzabyy]iLa  iiun  e;?  ijiiipav  yptffrou.  Note  both  uses  of 
£??.      No  reason  for  saying  "  until  "  the  day. 

"  iiuil  is   the  ethical  dative.     Cf.  Robertson,  "  Grammar," 

PP-  536,  539- 

'Arauj^rj/xa  is  result.  *  edpa/iov.     The  race. 


REALIZING   GOD'S   PLAN   IN   LIFE  1 55 

same  dread  about  the  Galatians.  He  does  not  wish 
it  all  to  come  to  nothingness.  The  word  for  labour ' 
here  means  the  weariness  of  labour.  Toil  and  sweat 
and  weariness  were  all  for  naught.  It  is  a  pitiful  case 
when  the  preacher  has  to  see  the  people  go  back  to 
the  flesh-pots  of  Egypt  and  leave  his  work  null  and 
void.  The  Philippians  will  be  Paul's  jewels  in  the 
presence  of  Christ  as  the  mother  of  the  Gracchi 
boasted  of  her  boys. 

6.     Paul's  Sacrifice  (verse  17^). 

"  Yea,  though  ^  I  am  offered  upon  the  sacrifice  and 
service  of  your  faith,  "  Paul  adds.  He  will  not  shrink 
from  death  in  order  to  be  of  service  to  them  and  to 
help  them  in  their  efforts  to  press  on  in  the  Christian 
life.  He  hopes  to  live,  but  he  stands  in  the  constant 
presence  of  death,  and  he  is  not  afraid.  He  had 
faced  death  at  Philippi  and  often  since.  It  will  come 
some  day.  He  is  ready  now.  It  is  not  his  apostolic 
office,  but  his  very  life  that  he  offers.  The  picture 
here  is  of  their  faith  ^  in  the  sense  of  their  Christian 
life  as  a  sacrifice  *  and  priestly  service.^     The  Philip- 


^  Ino-Kiaaa.  From  //otto?  exhausting  toil  (i  Cor.  15  :  10; 
Gal.  4:11).  In  Rev.  14  :  13  see  distinction  drawn  between 
^ipya.  (works)  and  koniov  (toils). 

^  £1  Kau  "  Even  if"  would  be  fcai  d  as  some  manuscripts 
have  it. 

'  -KiaTstoq.  *  dunia. 

^  XeiToupyia.  From  Xa6<i  and  epyov,  work  for  the  people. 
Cf.  our  "  liturgy." 


156  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

plans  as  priests  lay  down  upon  the  altar  their  Chris- 
tian lives  (faith  and  fidelity).  Upon'  this  Paul  is 
ready  to  pour  out  ^  his  own  life  as  an  additional  sac- 
rifice in  their  service.  It  is  not  necessary  to  press 
the  point  whether  Paul  has  in  mind  the  Jewish  cus- 
tom of  pouring  the  drink  offering  around  the  altar 
or  the  heathen  of  pouring  the  libation  upon  the  altar. 
The  latter  would  be  more  familiar  to  the  Philippians, 
but  the  point  holds  good  in  either  case.  Paul  is 
wilHng  to  spend  and  be  spent  in  the  service  of  the 
Phihppians  (cf,  2  Cor.  12  :  15^).  One  thinks  of  the 
student  volunteers  who  offer  their  lives  for  mission 
service  and  challenge  the  churches  to  furnish  the 
money  for  their  support.  One  thinks  of  David  Liv- 
ingstone who  gave  his  life  gladly  for  the  healing  of 
the  open  sore  of  the  world  in  Africa. 

7.     Mutual  Joy  (verses  1 7^-18). 

"  I  joy  and  rejoice^  with  you  all,"  says  Paul.  He 
is  glad  by  himself  to  make  the  offering  of  his  life,  if 
this  supreme  sacrifice  is  demanded.  He  will  not 
shrink  back,  but  will  meet  it  gladly,  and  all  the  more 
readily  since  he  can  share  his  joy  with  them.     Fel- 

^  (7niv8nfj.ac.  The  verb  is  used  in  the  /iie//i  (certificates  of 
pagan  worship).  Those  who  poured  out  libations  to  the  gods 
obtained  immunity.  Cf.  Milligan,  "  Selections  from  the  Greek 
Papyri,"  pp.  11 4- 1 16. 

^  daTTavyjffiu  Ka\  In  daT^avr^Or^fyoiiai. 

*  Xaipm   fcai    auy^aipu).     The    point    in    the   repetition  is 

GU) 


REALIZING   god's   PLAN   IN   LIFE  I57 

lowship  is  a  blessed  reality.  Paul  is  glad  on  his  own 
account  that  he  has  been  the  instrument  in  their  sal- 
vation (Kennedy).  He  is  still  more  joyful  at  the  ex- 
periences of  grace  which  they  have  in  Christ.  Joy 
is  not  selfish,  but  wishes  company.  The  woman  in 
Luke  15:9  who  found  her  lost  piece  of  money 
called  in  her  women  friends  and  said  :  "  Rejoice  with 
me,  for  I  have  found  the  piece  which  I  had  lost." 
So  the  shepherd  who  found  the  one  lost  sheep  said 
to  his  friends :  "  Rejoice  with  me,  for  I  have  found 
my  sheep  which  was  lost"  (Luke  15:6).  So  the 
father  says  :  '•  Make  merry,  for  this  my  son  was 
dead,  and  is  alive  again ;  he  was  lost,  and  is  found '' 
(Luke  15  :  24).  The  child  all  aglow  with  his  Christ- 
mas toys  wishes  other  children  to  come  and  share 
his  joys.  "  And  in  the  same  manner '  do  ye  also  joy, 
and  rejoice  with  me."  Play  up  to  your  part  of  the 
joy.  Plutarch  ^  tells  of  the  messenger  from  Marathon 
who  expired  on  the  first  threshold  in  Athens  with 
these  words  on  his  lips  :  "  Rejoice  and  we  rejoice."  ^ 
Nowhere  in  the  Epistle  is  Paul  so  insistent  about  joy 
as  here.  The  Christian  is  rich  in  his  joy  in  Christ. 
What  joy  it  will  be  in  heaven  to  tell  the  story  of  the 
triumph  of  Christ  over  sin  in  your  life  and  in  mine. 

*  TO  de  aoTo.     Adverbial  accusative  (of  general  reference). 
Cf.  Robertson,  *•  Grammar,"  p.  487. 
^  Mor.,  p.  347  C. 


VII 

FELLOWSHIP 
(2 :  19-30) 

MUCH  as  Paul  loved  doctrine,  he  also 
greatly  loved  people.  He  had  a  passion 
for  folks  and  had  hosts  of  friends  wher- 
ever he  laboured  and  even  where  he  had  not  been  as 
Romans  16  shows.  Dan  Crawford,  the  remarkable 
missionary  of  Central  Africa  and  author  of  "  Think- 
ing Black,"  speaks  quaintly  of  fishing  in  the  eyes  of 
his  friends.  Paul  knew  how  to  do  that  and  dearly 
loved  the  fellowship  of  the  saints.  We  have  many 
glimpses  of  his  personal  relationships  in  the  Acts 
and  in  his  Epistles.  Paul  had  the  most  delightful 
ties  with  his  fellow-workers.  He  had  foes  in  plenty, 
but  he  also  made  friends  fast  and  true.  In  the  midst 
of  this  Epistle  Paul  talks  in  a  charming  way  about 
his  plans  for  communicating  with  the  Philippians,  a 
human  touch  that  breaks  the  strain  of  theological  ar- 
gument. This  Epistle  seems  to  have  no  formal  or 
logical  order.'     It  flows  along  in  the  most  easy  and 

^Clemen  ("  Einheitlichkeit  der  paulin.  Briefe,"  p.  138) 
thinks  that  verses  19-21  do  not  belong  here,  but  that  is 
hypercriticism  in  a  letter  like  this. 

158 


FELLOWSHIP  159 

natural  way  and  treats  the  weightiest  topics  and  the 
most  incidental  with  equal  ease  and  grace. 

I.     Paul's  Plans  for  Timothy  (verses  19-23). 

He  writes  as  the  Master  about  the  disciple. 
Timothy  has  evidently  placed  himself  wholly  at 
Paul's  service  in  the  matter  of  going  or  not  going  to 
Philippi.  Perhaps  the  Philippians  had  wondered 
why  Paul  had  not  sent  them  more  frequent  messages. 
So  then  he  writes  in  an  apologetic  vein  about  his 
conduct  in  the  matter. 

(a)  Timothy  s  Interest  in  the  Philippians  (verses 
19-21).  The  possibility  of  Paul's  martyrdom  (Phil. 
2:17)  was  only  a  remote  one  and  did  not  interfere  with 
his  plans  for  sending  word  to  Philippi.  Paul  has  a 
very  definite  hope  to  send  Timothy  "  shortly " '  to 
them,  though  how  soon  he  cannot  tell.  His  hope  is 
centered  "  in  the  Lord  Jesus."  ^  This  favourite  Paul- 
ine idiom  is  not  a  mere  pious  phrase,  but  represents 
the  very  core  of  Paul's  philosophy  of  life.  Jesus  is 
the  circumference  of  all  his  thoughts  and  activities. 
Christ  is  both  the  center  and  the  circumference  of 
the  circle  of  life  for  Paul.  Christ  is  the  key  to  the 
universe  and  to  Paul's  own  life.  He  has  no  life  out- 
side   of  Christ   (cf.    i  :  8,    14 ;    2  :  24 ;    3:1;  Rom. 

*  Taii(ii<;.  The  use  of  the  aorlst  infinitive  Tzi[i4>ai  after 
iX-KiZiu  rather  than  the  future  is  in  accord  with  fcoivq  usage. 
Cf.  Robertson,  "  Grammar,"  pp.  1081  f. 

''  iv  Kupiui  ^Ir}ffou. 


l6o  PAUL'S  JOY  IN  CHRIST 

9:i;  14:14,  etc.).  Evidently  Paul  had  tried  to 
send  messengers  to  Philippi,  but  had  been  unable  to 
do  so.  Epaphroditus  had  been  here  in  Rome  a  good 
while  and  Paul  had  grown  anxious  about  the  Philip- 
plans,  "  that  I  also  may  be  of  good  cheer,  when  I 
know  your  state."  *  He  himself  will  be  of  good  spirit, 
good  heart,  good  courage.  He  needed  the  good 
cheer  that  would  come  from  good  news  about  them. 
His  reason  for  wishing  to  send  Timothy  in  par- 
ticular is  plainly  given  :  •'  For  I  have  no  man  like- 
minded,  who  will  care  truly  for  your  state."  He 
means,  of  course,  one  like-minded  ^  with  Timothy. 
This  is  high  tribute  to  the  fidelity  and  disinterested- 
ness of  Timothy  who  richly  deserved  it.  He  was 
such  a  friend  that^  he  would  be  genuinely*  anxious* 
about  the  Philippians.  He  was  Paul's  companion 
and  helper  in  the  establishment  of  the  Philippian 
church.  Besides,  Hke  Paul,  he  had  the  shepherd 
heart  and  knew  what  anxiety  for  all  the  churches 
was  (2  Cor.   1 1  :  28),  a  daily  pressure  ^  upon   Paul's 

'  "\>a  kayu)  etxj'u^dj  yvnhis  rri  Tzep]  'up.ajv.  This  verb  is  rare 
(but  cf.  Josephus,  Ant.  XI,  6,  8),  save  that  evcpu^ei  is  com- 
mon in  epitaphs.  But  eui/'u^m^  is  in  i  Mace.  9  :  14;  2  Mace. 
7  :  20  ;   14:18.     Fvohii  here  is  ingressive  aorist,  come  to  know. 

^  i(To(l'u^()v.  It  is  a  rare  word.  Cf.  ^schylus,  Agam. 
1470  and  Psalm  54  (55):  14  (13).      Vulgate  has  unanimem. 

^  orrrf?  almost  consecutive  (certainly  sub-final)  here.  Cf. 
Robertson,  *'  Grammar,"  p.  996. 

*  Yvrjaiw<s.      By  birth  relation,  naturally,  sincerely. 

^ /jL£ptjxvijff£t.     Common  word  for  anxiety  (cf.  Matt.  6  :  25). 

*  iitiazaat<s.     A  load  standing  or  staying  upon  Paul's  soul. 


FELLOWSHIP  l6l 

heart.  No  other  preacher  is  really  worth  while. 
The  minister  who  is  out  for  money  will  not  win  souls 
and  feed  them.  The  man  who  puts  his  own  selfish 
interests  before  the  Kingdom  of  God  will  not  have 
the  sacrificial  spirit.  Paul  has  a  hard  word  to  add : 
"  For  they  all  seek  their  own,  not  the  things  of 
Christ."^  "This  is  a  very  severe  indictment  of  the 
rest  of  Paul's  friends  in  Rome.  We  do  not  know  all 
the  circumstances.  Perhaps  Paul  is  only  speaking  of 
those  who  were  in  a  position  to  make  the  long  (for 
that  time)  trip  from  Rome  to  Philippi  and  back.  It 
is  possible  that  Luke  and  Aristarchus  were  absent 
from  the  city  at  this  time.  Paul  is  a  man  of  quick 
impulses  and  we  may  have  here  a  pessimistic  note  in 
this  optimistic  letter.  The  very  exceptional  conse- 
cration of  Timothy  set  in  relief  the  hesitation  of  the 
rest.  But  there  is  small  wonder  (Kennedy)  that  Paul 
should  feel  hurt  at  the  lack  of  inclination  on  the  part 
of  any  of  his  friends  save  Timothy  to  make  the  sac- 
rifice of  time  and  energy  necessary  for  the  journey. 
"  The  whole  number,"  says  Paul,  put  their  own  inter- 
ests before  the  interests  of  Christ.  Augustine  says 
that  Paul's  companions  here  in  Rome  were  merce- 
nary. Paul  certainly  loved  Luke,  the  beloved  physi- 
cian (Col.  4:  14),  and  it  is  hard  to  think  of  him  as 
mercenary  and  selfish.  He  was,  as  already  suggested, 
probably  out  of  town.  It  may  be  urged  by  some 
that  Paul  allowed  himself  to  go  too  far  in  interpreting 
'  ol  ndvTS?  yap  tol  kauruiv  ^rjzoufftv,  00  rd  ^ptcrrou  ^Irjffou, 


l62  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

his  own  eagerness  to  hear  from  Philippi  as  the  clear 
will  of  God.  Certainly  the  interpretation  of  Provi- 
dence is  not  always  easy.  More  than  one  angle  of 
vision  is  often  possible.  But,  after  all,  it  is  amazing 
what  good  excuses  men  can  find  for  doing  their  own 
way,  the  easy  way,  in  a  crisis  rather  than  the  hard 
way  which  may  be  God's  way.  If  the  duty  seems 
unpleasant,  we  often  seek  reasons  for  thinking  that  it 
is  not  duty  at  all.  At  any  rate,  one  is  not  wide  of 
the  mark  if  he  says  that  nothing  so  hinders  the  ef- 
fectiveness of  our  churches  as  just  this  tendency  to 
put  our  own  interests  before  those  of  the  Kingdom 
of  God.  Many  a  pastor  is  dreary  and  despondent 
as  he  faces  progressive  enterprises  in  the  church 
work  because  so  many  ask  to  be  excused.  They 
say  that  they  really  do  not  have  time.  These  stern 
words  of  Paul  come  to  one's  mind,  if  not  his  lips,  at 
a  time  like  that.  But  Paul  is  not  a  man  to  be 
blocked  by  the  refusal  of  men  to  do  the  work  that 
is  called  for.  If  one  way  fails,  there  is  always  an- 
other way  open. 

{b)  Timothy's  Devotion  to  Paul  (verse  22).  Paul 
has  no  need  to  tell  the  Phihppians  about  Timothy, 
whose  character  is  in  such  contrast '  to  "  the  all " 
who  put  their  own  interests  first.  "  Ye  know  (by 
experience^  as  seen  in  Acts   i6  and   17)  the  proof 

'  <?£.     Adversative  here,  not  continuative.     Cf.  Robertson, 
**  Grammar,"  p.  1186. 
"^ycvdiff/cere,  not  ol'daze. 


FELLOWSHIP  163 

(approved  character')  of  him."  When  put  to  the 
test  in  Philippi,  Timothy  proved  true.  His  love  and 
loyalty  they  well  know  and  they  need  only  a  reminder 
to  bring  it  all  back  to  them.  Paul  starts  to  say  that, 
as  a  child  served  a  father ,2  so  Timothy  served^  me, 
but  his  refined  feehng  and  instinctive  humility  (Ken- 
nedy) and  delicacy  lead  Paul  to  change  the  structure 
of  the  sentence.  He  is  checked  also  by  the  thought 
(Vincent)  that  both  he  and  Timothy  are  servants  of 
Christ  (Phil.  I :  i).  So  he  says :  "  served  with  me  "  * 
as  father  and  son  in  the  common  cause,  side  by  side, 
"  in  the  gospel  "  or  "  for  the  gospel "  ^  however  we 
take  it.  Either  is  possible  and  either  sphere  or  pur- 
pose makes  sense.  The  feeling  of  camaraderie  and 
companionship  is  uppermost  in  Paul's  mind.  Timo- 
thy and  Paul  have  served  together  in  the  trenches 
as  comrades  in  the  army  of  Christ.  Paul  elsewhere 
bears  hearty  testimony  to  the  service  of  Timothy  as 
"  my  beloved  child  and  faithful  in  the  Lord  "  (i  Cor. 
4 :  17),  "  for  he  does  the  work  of  the  Lord  as  I  also  " 
(i  Cor.  16  :  10).  Cf.  also  i  Tim.  i  :  2 ;  2  Tim.  i :  2. 
This  devotion  was  all  the  more  appreciated  by  Paul 
if  we  admit  that  Timothy  was  not  vigorous  in  health 

^  SofitfXTjv.  Used  for  process  of  trial  (2  Cor.  8  :  2)  and  re- 
sult of  trial  (2  Cor.  2  :  9)  and  here  (Vincent).  Vulgate  has 
experimentum. 

^  w?  Tzarpl  riftvov. 

^  idouXsuffev.     Figure  of  slave  (^douXog)  and  master. 

*  cbv  ifio}. 

^££9  TO  euayyiXtov.     Robertson,  "  Grammar,"  pp.  591  f. 


164  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

and  had  a  natural  timidity  of  disposition.  His  loyalty 
was  unimpeachable.  He  stood  ready  to  serve  Christ 
anywhere. 

(c)  PauVs  Need  of  TiviotJiy  (verse  23).  As  things 
are  with  Paul  now  in  Rome,  he  cannot  spare  Timo- 
thy till  the  cloud  has  vanished  and  Paul  is  free  again. 
Then  he  will  dispatch  Timothy  iiistauter,  for  he 
knows  that  the  Philippians  will  wish  to  know  how  it 
goes  with  Paul.'  Paul  here  resumes  the  standpoint 
of  verse  19.  Meanwhile  Paul  needs  Timothy  by  his 
side  and  can  only  cherish  the  hope  of  sending  him 
soon.  Then  he  can  tell  about  the  outcome  of  the 
trial. 

2.     Paul's  Trust  About  Himself  (verse  24). 

He  has  a  hope'  of  sending  Timothy,  a  trust' 
in  the  Lord  (cf.  i  :  14;  2  :  19)  of  coming  himself 
soon.*  There  is  a  curious  parallel  in  Paul's  lan- 
guage about  his  proposed  visit  to  Corinth  after  he 
had  sent  Timothy  thither :  "  But  I  shall  come  to  you 
shortly,  if  the  Lord  wiH"(i  Cor.  4 :  19).     If  Paul 

*  TO.  TTEpt  ifiif  the  things  concerning  me.  The  use  of  wp  uv 
as  a  temporal  conjunction  occurs  also  in  Rom.  15  :  24  ;  i  Cor. 
11:34.  It  occurs  in  the  papyri.  Cf.  Robertson,  "  Gram- 
mar," p.  974.  The  aspirated  form  a<fi8u)  is  here  correct  and 
is  amply  supported  in  the  papyri.  Cf.  Robertson,  "  Gram- 
mar," p.  224,  and  Lightfoot,  in  loco.  'E^auTrji^  occurs  chiefly 
in  Acts.     The  Vulgate  has  mox. 

^  TiiTzotOa.     Second  perfect,  state  of  confidence. 

*  ra^iiu^.     Shortly  or  swiftly. 


FELLOWSHIP  165 

wrote  Philippians  before  Colossians,  Ephesians  and 
Philemon,  he  was  not  able  to  come  right  away,  but 
only  after  a  year  or  so.  We  do  not  know  precisely 
what  Paul's  expectations  were  about  this  "  shortly." 
The  whim  of  a  Nero  was  an  elusive  thing  to  count 
upon.  But  he  no  longer  thinks  of  going  on  to  Spain 
first  as  he  had  once  planned  (Rom.  15:28).  His 
heart  now  turns  to  the  east  (Phile.  22).  His  long 
imprisonment  in  Caesarea  and  Rome  has  made  it 
necessary  for  Paul  to  set  things  in  order  in  the  east. 
The  Gnostic  disturbers  had  already  appeared  on  the 
horizon  before  Paul  left  Asia  (Acts  20 :  29  f.).  These 
"  grievous  wolves  "  had  taken  full  advantage  of  Paul's 
absence  to  play  havoc  with  the  flock  in  various  parts 
of  Asia.  Philippi  also  tugs  at  Paul's  heart  which 
now  definitely  turns  eastward.  When  he  was  re- 
leased, it  seems  probable  that  he  did  go  east  at  once. 
We  catch  traces  of  Paul's  tracks  at  Miletus  (2  Tim. 
4:  20),  Ephesus(iTim.  i :  3),  Macedonia  and  so  prob- 
ably Philippi  (i  Tim.  1:3),  Troas  (2  Tim.  4:13), 
Nicopolis  (Titus  3:  12).  We  may  believe  therefore 
that  in  time  the  Philippians  did  see  Paul  again  as  well 
as  Timothy  who  was  certainly  in  the  east  (l  Tim.  i  :  3). 

3.  The  Immediate  Return  of  Epaphroditus 
(verses  25-30). 

The  way  is  clear  for  this  at  any  rate  and  now  at 
last.  For  long  this  boon  seemed  remote  if  not  im- 
possible.    But  God  has  been  good  to  Epaphroditus,  to 


1 66  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

Paul,  and  to  the  Philippians  in  sparing  the  life  of  this 
good  man.  So  Epaphroditus  is  to  go  at  once  as  the 
bearer  of  this  Epistle  and  of  Paul's  love  and  blessing. 
(a)  His  Return  Necessary  (verses  25  f.).  His 
"  hopes  "  aside,  Paul  faces  '  the  immediate  necessity  ^ 
of  sending  Epaphroditus  at  once.  It  is  important  for 
Paul  to  keep  in  vital  touch  with  the  work  lest  it  lan- 
guish and  die,  but  the  special  reason  for  the  urgency 
is  the  anxiety  of  Epaphroditus  and  theirs  about  him 
as  Paul  explains.  There  is  no  reason  for  confusing 
this  Epaphroditus  of  Philippi  with  Epaphras  of 
Colossae  (Col.  1:7;  4:  12;  Phile.  23),  even  if  the 
latter  is  a  shortened  form  of  the  other  name,^  for  the 
name  in  both  forms  is  common  enough  all  over  the 
empire.  There  is  nothing  in  the  tradition  that  this 
Epaphroditus  was  Nero's  secretary,  due  to  allusions  in 
Suetonius  (Nero,  49;  Domitian,  14).  Paul  describes 
him  as  his  brother^  in  the  Christian  brotherhood,  as 
his  fellow-worker  °  in  the  cause  of  Christ,  as  his  fellow- 
soldier^  in  the  conflict  with  Christ's  enemies.     He  is 


'  rjYrj(TdiJ.-qv   is    epistolary    aorist    like    e-izsfKl'a  in  verse  28. 
Proof  also  that  Epaphroditus  bore  the  Epistle. 
^  avayUaTov,      Cf.  2  Cor.  9  :  5  for  same  idiom. 
^  Cf.  Robertson,  "  Grammar,"  p.  172  ;   Lightfoot,  in  loco. 

*  aSeXcpov,  ^  auvepyov. 

*  au'^(7TpaTi(ozrjv.  Cf.  Philemon  2.  Very  common  meta- 
phor with  Paul.  Moulton  and  Milligan  ("  Lexical  Notes," 
Expositor,  Sept.,  1911)  quote  from  BU  814*7  (iii,  a.  d.) 
ni^'priixai  yaXnov  n^a^pa  Ourrrpartiurou  when  a  soldier  in  a 
letter  to  his  mother  says :  "  I  have  borrowed  money  from  a 
fellow  soldier." 


FELLOWSHIP  167 

Paul's  comrade  in  love,  in  work,  and  in  peril,  •'  common 
sympathy,  common  work,  common  danger  "  (Light- 
foot).  But  the  Philippians  regard  him  as  their 
"  apostle  "  '  or  "  messenger "  to  Paul  as  he  was  in 
truth  and  also  their  "  minister,"  ^  "  sacrificial  minis- 
ter "  it  almost  turned  out  to  be,  to  Paul's  need.  He 
rendered  a  priestly  service  at  any  rate.  Epaphroditus 
brought  their  gifts  (Phil.  4:  18)  which  Paul  there  calls 
a  "  sacrifice  "  ^  as  in  2  :  30  a  "  service,"  ^  an  oblation 
to  God.^  The  qualifications  of  Epaphroditus  for 
service  to  both  Paul  and  the  Philippians  are  thus 
excellent.  He  was  not  the  equal  in  gifts  to  Timothy, 
but  Paul  used  gladly  the  services  of  less  gifted  men. 
Not  all  men  can  be  leaders  and  pioneers.  Moses  had 
Aaron,  Luther  had  Melancthon  (cf.  Baskerville,  in 
loco). 

But  Paul  had  a  specific  reason^  for  sending  Epaph- 
roditus now.  The  simple  truth  was  that  Epaphro- 
ditus was  intensely  homesick.  "  He  longed  after  you 
all  "  ^  with   yearning  pothos  and  pathos.     He  "  was 

*  d.izoaro'kov.  Here  in  the  original  and  general  sense  of  the 
word,  not  one  of  the  Twelve  or  like  Paul  (cf.  2  Cor.  8  :  23). 

"^  XeiToupybv.  *  duaiav. 

*  }.£iToupy{ag. 

^  On  Paul's  use  of  pagan  terms  see  Ramsay,  Exp.  Times, 
X,  1-5. 

®  inetdij.  Only  in  three  other  places  in  Paul's  Epistles. 
Cf.  Robertson,  **  Grammar,"  p.  965. 

'  iizcnodciv  -qv.      Periphrastic  imperfect  adds  to  the  notion  of 

continuance.     Note  Itzi Cf.  Phil.  1:8.     It  is  a  strong 

word. 


l68  PAUL'S  JOY  IN  CHRIST 

sore  troubled  "  '  in  anguish  of  heart,  either  from  dis- 
gust at  the  situation  or  from  a  real  case  of  homesick- 
ness. At  any  rate  he  was  sick  at  heart  now  "  because 
ye  had  heard  that  he  was  sick,"  ^  It  is  a  common 
feeling  for  the  sick  to  conceal  the  serious  nature  of 
the  illness  from  their  loved  ones  so  as  to  avoid  giving 
pain.  Perhaps  the  Philippians  on  hearing  of  the  ill- 
ness of  Epaphroditus  had  written  Paul  a  letter  about 
it.  If  so,  Paul  was  now  replying  to  that  letter.  As 
it  was,  the  heart  of  Epaphroditus  was  pierced  to  the 
quick  with  anxiety.  This  touch  of  human  sympathy 
is  hfe  itself. 

{p)  The  Recent  Peril  of  Epaphroditus  {y^rsQ  27). 
Paul  has  put  the  thing  too  mildly,  "  for  indeed  "  ^ 
(really)  "  he  was  sick  nigh  unto  death."  ^  What  this 
sickness  was  we  do  not  know.  Epaphroditus  may 
have  run  great  risk  on  his  way  to  Rome.  He  may 
have  come  in  the  hot  season  and  have  caught  the 
terrible  Roman  fever,  a  plague  yet  in  spite  of  our 
knowledge  of  the  mosquito.  Some  have  suggested 
that  Paul  was  more  closely  confined  after  the  arrival 

'  ddrjfiuJv.  The  etymology  is  wholly  conjectural  whether 
from   ad-qiiois  (away  from   home)  or  from  ddrj/xiuv  (distressed). 

*  dtoTt  rj/<i){>(Tars  art  TJaOivrjnev.  Note  diori  (causal)  and 
liTt  (declarative)  and  the  two  aorists.  He  "  fell  sick  "  (in- 
gressive  aorist). 

•'  Kai  yrifK  Ascensive  force  of  kai.  Cf.  Robertson, 
**  Grammar,"  p.  1 181. 

*  nafxxTzXrjfTiov  Oavdroo.  Most  MSS.  read  Oavdrw,  but  W 
H  follow  B  P  here.  Cf.  Robertson,  "  Grammar,"  p.  646. 
Cf.  also  p.  203  for  change  of  w  and  ou. 


FELLOWSHIP  169 

of  Epaphroditus  who  had  more  exposure.  But, 
whatever  the  cause,  God  took  pity '  on  Epaphro- 
ditus and,  Paul  adds  with  deUcacy  of  feehng, "  on  me 
also,"  ^  and  in  particular,  "  that  I  might  not  have 
sorrow  upon  sorrow  "  ^  as  if  wave  upon  wave  of  woe 
would  overwhelm  Paul  with  a  flood,  Epaphroditus' 
death  piled  upon  Paul's  imprisonment.  That  would 
be  more  than  Paul  could  stand.  Isaiah  spoke  of 
*«  tribulation  upon  tribulation,"  ^  the  Psalms  of  Solo- 
mon of"  sin.  upon  sin," ''and  Jesus  of  "stone  upon 
stone."  ^  We  have  a  proverb  about  trouble :  "  It  never 
rains,  but  it  pours."  But  that  is  the  philosophy  of 
pessimism.  The  waves  did  stop  rolHng  over  Paul 
and  Epaphroditus  was  spared. 

{c)  Welcome  for  Epaphroditus  (verses  28  f.).  The 
final  recovery  of  Epaphroditus,  added  to  the  anxiety  of 
the  Philippians,  led  Paul  to  speed  ^  in  sending^  him  to 
the  Philippians,  to   more  ^  eagerness  on  Paul's  part 

^  aXXa  6  deo?  ijXirjaev.        ^  oun  aurov  fj.6vov,  dXXd  fiai  kfii. 
^  'iva  ij.rj  XunrjV  in\  X^tttjv  ff^cb, 

*  28  :  10  dXi4nv  in]  OXiipcv. 

*  3  :  7  ajiapTta  iizi  diiapriav. 

^  Matt.  24  :  2  XiOo^  in)  Xtdov.  The  MSS.  vary  here  in 
Phil.  2  :  27  between  Xun^  and  Xunrjv  with  int.  Either  makes 
good  sense.  Cf.  Robertson,  "  Grammar,"  pp.  602,  604. 
Note  punctiliar  idea  in  rrj/oi,  get. 

'  ou>.     Therefore,  because  of  the  circumstance. 

^  k'ne/K/m.      Epistolary  aorist, 

^  (ynnudacoripoj?.  There  is  no  reason  for  taking  this  com- 
parative as  a  positive  or  even  as  a  superlative.  Cf.  Robert- 
son, "  Grammar,"  pp.  664  f.  The  object  of  comparison  is 
implied. 


I70  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

than  he  would  have  had.  He  has  lost  no  time  in 
getting  Epaphroditus  off,  "  that,  when  ye  see  him 
again,  ye  may  rejoice."  '  Paul  is  anxious  for  the 
Philippians  to  recover  their  cheerfulness  which  had 
been  clouded  by  the  sickness  of  Epaphroditus.  Their 
joy  will  react  on  .Paul  and  make  him  happy.  The 
best  way  to  be  happy  is  to  make  others  happy. 
"  And  that  I  may  be  less  sorrowful "  ^  than  I  have 
been.  Paul  states  his  own  joy  euphemistically.  He 
understands  the  yearning  of  Epaphroditus  and  the 
anxiety  of  the  Philippians.  "  Who  is  weak,  and  I 
am  not  weak?  Who  is  caused  to  stumble  and  I 
burn  not  ?  "  (2  Cor.  1 1 :  29). 

♦'  Receive  him  therefore  in  the  Lord  with  all  joy."  ^ 
Give  him  a  royal  welcome.  The  command  seems 
superfluous,  but  none  the  less  Paul  makes  it.  He 
only  wishes  he  could  have  a  share  in  it.  We  may 
be  sure  that  the  Philippians  did  this  thing  and  took 
Epaphroditus  to  their  hearts.  He  had  come  back 
from  the  very  grave  and  deserved  a  conqueror's 
welcome.  He  had  been  a  hero  of  faith.  "  Hold 
such  in  honour."  ^  This  plea  for  the  proper  esteem 
and  treatment  of  soldiers  of  the  cross  is  not  without 
point   to-day.     Certainly  preachers    get   their  share 

'  Iva  idovreg  auTuv  ndXtv  ^apr^re. 

*  /idyw  dXuTtoTepoii  u>. 

'  Tzpocrdiytfrde  oov  auzov  fitrd  ndffTjg  yapd<;.  A  continuous 
welcome  (present  tense). 

*  Tobg  ToiouTou^  ivTifxui)^  eyere.  Keep  on  doing  so  (pres- 
ent tense). 


FELLOWSHIP  171 

of  public  esteem  and  criticism.  They  are  outstand- 
ing targets  and  cannot  escape  a  certain  amount  of 
rough  handling  which  is  not  wholly  bad.  As  a  rule 
preachers  get  what  love  they  deserve  and  often  more. 
It  is  well  to  insist  that  ministers  deserve  due  appre- 
ciation because  of  the  high  and  holy  task  committed 
to  them,  particularly  if  they  do  their  duty  steadily 
and  faithfully.  But,  as  a  rule,  preachers  are  paid  a 
pitiful  salary  and  are  expected  to  live  on  less  than 
most  other  people  with  economy  and  good  appear- 
ances. There  is  something  better  than  monuments 
and  that  is  right  treatment  while  they  live.  In  par- 
ticular, one  may  note  with  pleasure  the  endowment 
funds  for  aged  ministers  now  under  way  in  most 
of  the  denominations.  That  is  the  least  that  can  be 
done  and  it  ought  to  be  done.  Any  decent  nation 
takes  care  of  its  old  soldiers. 

{d)  Risking  All  for  the  Work  of  Christ  (verse  30). 
Epaphroditus  deserves  the  welcome  of  a  hero  "  be- 
cause for  the  work  of  Christ  he  came  nigh  unto 
death." '  Already  "  the  work  "  was  getting  a  tech- 
nical meaning  like  '•  the  way,"  "  the  name."  It  sig- 
nified "  the  cause "  of  Christ  ^  and  Paul  used  it 
absolutely^  in  Acts  15:38  about  John  Mark  who 
*♦  went  not  with  them  to  the  work."     The  courage 

^  OTi    did  TO    k'pyov  Xptaroo  iJ-iypt  OavaTuo  ijyyiff&v.      Note 
causal  conjunction  Stc  and  preposition  did. 
^  Many  MSS.  have  Kupiou. 
*As  Ignatius  does  in  Eph.  14,  Rom.  3. 


172  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

of  Epaphroditus  stands  over  against  the  timidity  of 
John  Mark.  Witness  the  heroes  of  faith  in  Revela- 
tion 12:  II  who  "loved  not  their  life  even  unto 
death."  It  is  possible  to  be  too  careful  of  one's  own 
life  at  the  cost  of  real  usefulness.  One  does  not  wish 
to  be  foolhardy,  but  soldiers  dare  danger  as  do  doc- 
tors and  drummers  and  all  sorts  of  men.  So  Epaph- 
roditus really  hazarded '  his  life  for  the  work  of 
Christ.  Paul  uses  here  a  gambler's  phrase.  Epaph- 
roditus gambled  with  his  life  in  the  risk  that  he  ran 
in  coming  to  Rome,  either  from  the  Roman  fever 
or  Nero's  wrath  or  some  unknown  peril.  The  early 
Christians  called  those  who  risked  their  lives  for 
Christ  "  Parabolani  "  or  "  the  Riskers,"  the  brother- 
hood of  those  who  dared  all  for  Christ  as  Aquila  and 
Priscilla  risked  their  necks  for  Paul  (Rom.  16:4). 
Charles  Kingsley  pictures  these  "Riskers"  for  the 
souls  of  men  in  Hypatia.  Epaphroditus  did  this  to 
fill  up 2  what  was  lacking^  in  the  service^  of  the  Phi- 
lippians  for  Paul.  They  could  not  come  themselves 
in  person  and  could  only  send  their  love  by  proxy. 

^  TrapajSoXeufrdjxsvo?  r^  4"^xfi'  The  verb  Ttapa/SoXeOofxat 
is  from  the  adjective  -napd^uh)^  rash,  reckless,  gambling.  Cf. 
Tzapa^aXi(70ai  rat?  (,''u-(ali}  in  Diod.  3,  36,  4.  In  Roman 
law  the  appellant  deposited  a  stake  (jcapdiSuXov')  which  he  for- 
feited if  he  lost  his  case.  Deissmann  ("  Light  from  Ancient 
East,"  p.  84)  cites  the  verb  from  an  inscription  of  II  cent. 
A.  D.  in  sense  of  exposing  oneself. 

"^  dvanXTjpwarj.     Cf.  Col.  I  :  24.     Fill  up  to  the  brim. 

^  ixTTiprjiia.      No  reproach  in  this  term. 

*  XsiToupyia's.     Sacrificial  service. 


FELLOWSHIP  173 

But  Epaphroditus  dared  all  and  did  this  sacrificial 
service  which  Paul  would  never  forget.  "  For  that 
which  was  lacking  on  your  part  they  supplied  "  (i  Cor. 
16:  17;  cf.  2  Cor.  11:9).  Paul's  feeling  towards  the 
Corinthians  is  repeated  in  the  case  of  the  Philippians, 


VIII 

THE  HOLY  QUEST 
(3:1-14) 

THIS  paragraph  challenges  comparison  with 
the  great  one  in  2:1-11  concerning  the 
Person  of  Christ.  Here  the  Passion  of 
Paul  for  Hkeness  to  Christ  is  expressed  with  the 
utmost  energy  and  yearning  of  his  soul.  Nowhere 
does  his  mysticism  find  a  nobler  statement.  Paul  is 
greatest  when  his  intellect  is  set  on  fire  with  love  for 
Christ.  No  Knight  in  search  of  the  Holy  Grail  ever 
had  such  elevation  of  feeling  as  Paul  here  reveals. 
This  is  the  true  chivalry,  the  Passion  for  Christ. 

I.    Repetition  of  the  Commonplace  (verses  1-3). 

It  is  possible  that  Paul  at  first  meant  to  conclude 
his  letter  at  this  point,  when  he  wrote  "  finally,' 
brethren,"  though  that  is  by  no  means  the  necessary 
meaning  of  his  language.  The  phrase  literally  means 
"  what  is  left,"  "  the  rest "  as  in  i  Thessalonians  4:1; 
2  Thessalonians  3:1.     It  may  mean  "henceforth" 

^  ru  Xoi-Kov.  The  case  is  accusative  of  extent  of  time.  Cf. 
Robertson,  "  Grammar,"  p.  470.  For  the  use  of  Xoikov  like 
oov  see  p.  1146.  For  a  similar  use  in  Epictetus  see  Class. 
Review,  III,  p.  71. 

174 


THE  HOLY  QUEST  1 75 

as  in  Mark  14:41 ;  i  Corinthians  7:  29;  2  Timothy 
4:8.  It  may  mean  only  "  now  "  {jani)  or  "  there- 
fore "  as  in  Matthew  26:45;  Acts  27:20.  The 
meaning  "  finally  "  is  also  correct  as  in  2  Corinthians 
13  :  II.  On  the  whole  I  incline  to  the  view  that  Paul 
did  not  mean  to  close  the  Epistle,  but  simply  turns 
to  the  remaining  topics  before  him  with  the  repetition 
of  "  rejoice."  '  Lightfoot  translates  by  "  farewell," 
a  possible,  though  not  probable  rendering.  Joy  is  the 
dominant  note  in  the  Epistle  so  far  and  it  rings  on 
to  the  end.  But  the  refrain  is  joy  "  in  the  Lord  "  as 
Paul  so  often  says  about  all  his  experiences. 

The  next  sentence  puzzles  the  commentators  no 
little :  "  To  write  the  same  things  to  you,^  to  me  in- 
deed is  not  irksome,  but  for  you  it  is  safe."  To  what 
does  Paul  refer  ?  Is  it  the  repetition  of  "  rejoice  "  in 
this  same  Epistle  ?  To  keep  on  writing  this  message 
is  not  tedious'  to  me,  "  but  for  you  it  is  safe."  *  It 
makes  you  steadfast,  or  stable,  able  to  stand.  Does 
Paul  refer  to  a  previous  letter  in  which  he  gave  warn- 
ings which  he^now  repeats  ?  That  is  possible,  though 
not  certain.^     Paul  did  write  letters  which  we  do  not 

^ y^aipSTS.      Cf.  2:18;   4:4. 

^  TO.  aura  ypdipstv  vixlv.  Note  linear  action  (present  infin- 
itive). 

^  oKvrjpov.  From  6/iviu),  to  hesitate.  Means  sluggish, 
slothful,  "  poky,"  tiresome.  Does  not  make  me  tired.  Cf. 
Matt.  25  :  z6  ;   Rom.  12:  1 1 . 

*  dfffaXi^.      Not  to  trip  or  to  fall. 

^  Polycarp's  use  of  kTziffroXai  {ad  Phil,  iii.)  does  not  prove 
it  as  the  plural  was  sometimes  applied  to  single  letters. 


176  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

now  possess  (i  Cor.  5  :9;  2  Cor.  10:  lof. ;  2  Thess. 
2:  15  ;  3:  17).  Whatever  it  is,  Paul  repeats  it  with 
a  slight  apology.  Every  speaker  has  a  certain 
hesitancy  in  repeating  things  to  the  same  audience, 
though  it  is  more  or  less  necessary  if  one  is  to  be 
effective.  Particularly  do  teachers  find  repetition 
necessary.  Some  people  are  almost  immune  to  new 
ideas.  They  must  be  taught  line  upon  line,  precept 
upon  precept.  It  is  not  pleasant  to  speak  to  people 
who  do  not  care  to  hear.  It  is  easier  to  write,  but 
even  so  the  edge  of  expectancy  is  dulled.  But  Paul 
is  sustained  by  the  great  need  of  his  warning  on  the 
part  of  the  Philippians  and  goes  right  on. 

It  is  quite  possible  that  the  tendency  to  dissension 
in  the  Philippians  to  which  he  has  already  several 
times  alluded  was  complicated  with  the  Judaizing 
heresy  since  Paul  proceeds  to  warn  his  readers 
against  the  Judaizers  in  very  pointed  language.  If 
so,  it  was  eminently  "safe"  for  the  Phihppians  for 
Paul  to  repeat  his  warnings  against  these  subtle  and 
dangerous  teachers.  Three  times  with  striking  repeti- 
tion "  in  the  intense  energy  of  his  invective  "  (Ken- 
nedy) Paul  makes  his  warning :  "  Beware,  beware, 
beware."  '  It  is  more  exactly  "  look  out  for,"  ^  rather 
than  "  beware  of,"  though  that  idea  naturally  follows. 

'  iSlinere,  (Hinere,  (iXiTzsre. 

'^  With  accusative  roog  ftuva?  (as  in  2  John  8)  rather  than 
with  uKo  (as  in  Mark  8  :  15).  Cf.  2  Chron.  10  :  16  and 
Robertson,  "  Grammar,"  p.  471. 


THE  HOLY  QUEST  1 77 

He  is  not  describing  three  classes  of  opponents,  but 
only  one  by  the  use  of  "  the  dogs,  the  evil  workers, 
the  concision."  There  can  only  be  one  group  whom 
Paul  would  so  picture  and  that  is  the  Judaizers  whom 
Paul  had  already  termed  "  false  apostles,  deceitful 
workers,  fashioning  themselves  into  apostles  of 
Christ "  (2  Cor.  11:13).  If  one  is  shocked  at  Paul's 
use  of  the  word  dogs'  for  the  Judaizers,  he  may  be 
reminded  that  this  was  the  common  description  of 
the  Gentiles  by  the  Jews.  A  Jew  was  forbidden  to 
bring  the  price  of  a  dog  into  the  house  of  God  to  pay 
a  vow  (Deut.  23:  18).  Jesus  Himself,  though  in  a 
more  or  less  playful  vein,  employed  the  word  for 
"  little  dogs,"  ^  of  the  Gentiles  in  speaking  to  the 
Syro-Phcenician  woman  (Matt.  1 5  :  26)  and  she  took 
no  offence  at  it,  but  took  it  up  as  a  pleasantry  with 
the  retort  about  "  the  little  dogs  "  eating  the  crumbs 
under  their  masters'  table  (15  :  27).  So  then  Paul  is 
here  but  retorting  to  the  Judaizers  who  are  the  real 
spiritual  dogs  while  the  Gentiles  have  understood 
the  truth  about  Christ.  Dogs  were  the  common 
scavengers  in  the  Oriental  cities  and  were  considered 
very  unclean  by  Jews  for  obvious  reasons.  In  Revela- 
tion 22:15  the  term  "  dogs  "  is  applied  to  those 
"  whose  impurity  excludes  them  from  the  heavenly 
city  "  (Vincent).  We  need  not  split  hairs  over  the 
precise  point  in  the  impurity  that  Paul  means  to  bring 
out,     whether    shamelessness,    insolence,    cunning, 

*  Tob'i  k\jva<i,  ^  TOL  ffuvdpta. 


178  PAUL'S  JOY  IN  CHRIST 

greediness,  roving  tendencies  and  howling,  snappish- 
ness.  Certainly  these  Judaizing  dogs  had  dogged 
Paul's  steps  all  over  the  empire,  snapping  at  his  heels 
and  barking  after  him  at  a  distance.  At  any  rate 
the  moral  impurity  of  the  Judaizers  is  the  subject  of 
Paul's  contempt.  Look  out  for  these  dogs,  for  they 
will  bite.  Cave  canem.  That  sign  appears  at  the 
gate  where  dangerous  dogs  are  to  be  found.  These 
"  dogs  "  are  also  "  evil  workers."  '  They  are  actively 
at  work,  but  in  the  wrong  direction.  They  are  busy 
doing  wrong,  fine  specimens  of  wasted  energy.  Paul 
calls  them  "  hucksters  "  ^  in  2  Corinthians  2:17  with 
the  implication  of  corruption  and  fraud  so  often  true  of 
those  who  put  the  best  apples  on  the  top  of  the  barrel, 
the  prettiest  strawberries  on  the  top  of  the  basket. 
These  Judaizers,  like  the  Pharisees  before  them,  com- 
passed sea  and  land  to  make  one  proselyte  and 
made  him  twofold  more  a  son  of  hell  than  they  were 
(Matt.  23:15).  Once  more  Paul  speaks  of  the 
Judaizers  as  "  the  concision."^  They  had  mutilated 
the  ordinance  of  circumcision  in  making  it  essential 

^  TOW?  Kavohq  ipyaTa?.  Cf.  ipydrat  duXiot  in  2  Cor. 
II  :  13.     Crooked  sticks  at  best. 

*  /zanrjXe6ovTt<s. 

"  T^v  Rararofi-^v.  The  word  in  the  LXX  is  used  only  of  mu- 
tilations as  in  Lev.  21  :  5  ;  l  Kings  18:  28.  The  annominatio 
here  of  kararoiiij,  Treptroiitj,  is  a  common  figure  with  Paul 
(cf.  Rom.  12:3;  2  Thess.  3:11).  Cf.  Robertson, 
•'  Grammar,"  p.  1201.  These  plays  on  words  are  common. 
An  ambassador  to  Spain  said  he  was  sent  not  to  Spain,  but  to 
Pain.     Coleridge  called  French  philosophy  "  psilosophy." 


THE   HOLY  QUEST  1 79 

to  salvation.  Christians  are  the  true  circumcision  as 
Paul  states  elsewhere  (Rom.  2:  25-29;  Eph.  2:  11  ; 
Col.  2:11),  the  circumcision  of  the  heart  which  was 
symbohzed  by  that  of  the  flesh. 

Paul  gives  three  reasons  for  holding  that  Christians 
are  the  real  circumcision.  We  "  worship  by  the  Spirit 
of  God."  This  is  the  probable  translation.  The 
word '  is  the  one  used  for  ritual  worship,  but  it  means 
here  the  true  worship  of  God  who  is  spirit  (John 
4 :  24)  with  our  spirits  by  the  help  of  the  Spirit  of 
God.  Then  again  true  Christians  "  glory  in  Christ 
Jesus."  ^  This  word  glory  or  exult  "  expresses  with 
great  vividness  the  high  level  of  Christian  life " 
(Kennedy)  and  belongs  to  Paul's  "  triumphant 
mood."  Once  more,  "  we  do  not  put  our  trust  in 
the  flesh."  ^  By  "  flesh  "  here  Paul  means  the  unre- 
newed human  nature,  not  in  the  state  of  grace,  even 
if  one  is  observing  ritual  ceremonies.  It  is  a  vivid 
picture  of  the  mere  ceremonialist  who  is  unsaved. 
This  use  of  "  flesh  "  is  common  in  Galatians  and 
Romans  (cf.  Rom.  8  :  4-8).  In  Galatians  5  :  2-6 
Paul  places  the  mere  ceremonialist  outside  of 
Christ. 

2.    Religious  Pride  (verses  4-6). 

This  pride  of  religion  was  at  bottom  the  cause  of  the 

*  XaTpiuovTe^. 

"^  /iau)^(Iilxevo(.   iv  y^piaru)  ''I-qaov.      Cf.  Rom.  2  :  17;  I  Cor. 
1:31;  2  Cor.  10 :  17  ;  Gal.  6  :  14. 
^ kai  ou/c  kv  aapf{\  Tter^oid6Tt<i. 


l8o  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

hatred  of  Paul  by  the  Jews  and  the  Judaizers.  There 
is  much  of  it  to-day,  alas.  John  the  Baptist  smote 
it  hip  and  thigh  when  the  proud  Pharisees  and  Sad- 
ducees  came  to  hear  him  down  by  the  Jordan. 
"  Think  not  to  say  within  yourselves,  We  have  Abra- 
ham to  our  father  "  (Matt.  3  :  9).  Instead  of  being 
the  spiritual  children  of  Abraham  by  reason  of 
ecclesiastical  privileges  John  called  them  a  brood  of 
vipers  as  did  Jesus  later  (Matt.  12:  34)  and  also  chil- 
dren of  the  devil  (John  8:44).  Paul  understands 
perfectly  the  standpoint  of  these  Pharisaic  disciples. 
He  had  been  there  himself  and  once  gloried  in  all 
the  things  on  which  they  now  pride  themselves.  He 
had  once  before  made  out  an  ironical  bill  of  particulars 
in  ridicule  of  their  carnal  religious  pride  (2  Cor. 
II :  16-30),  once  v^rhen  he  played  the  fool  for  Christ's 
sake,  "  that  I  also  may  glory  a  little."  So  now  he 
has  as  much  right  to  boast  of  his  Jewish  prerogatives 
as  the  Judaizers,  "  though  I  myself  might  have  confi- 
dence even  in  the  flesh."  '  Paul  appreciates  to  the 
full  the  dignity  of  being  a  Jew  (Rom.  3 :  i  f.).  He 
places  himself  for  the  moment  at  the  Jewish  stand- 
point. "  Seeing  that  many  glory  after  the  flesh,  I 
will  glory  also"  (2  Cor.  11  :  18).  He  is  here  speak- 
ing "  foolishly  "  and  "  not  after  the  Lord."  "  If  any 
other  man  thinketh  to  have  confidence  in  the  flesh,  I 

'  rzaiizsp  lyw  k'^iov  ne-rotOrjm'^  izoa  l\>  aapfzi.  Concessive 
clause  with  nair^zp  and  the  participle.  Cf.  Robertson, 
♦*  Grammar,"  p.  i  \  29. 


THE  HOLY  QUEST  l8l 

yet  more." '  "  If  they  arrogate  to  themselves  these 
carnal  privileges,  I  also  arrogate  them  to  myself" 
(Lightfoot).  I  have  as  much  right  to  do  it  as  the 
Judaizers. 

Paul  now  proceeds  to  prove  the  point  of  his  argu- 
mentiim  ad  hominein.  There  is  here  the  same  depth 
of  feehng  on  Paul's  part  as  in  2  Corinthians  ii  :  21, 
but  less  tumultuous  eagerness  and  a  more  subdued 
tone  (Lightfoot).  There  is  undoubtedly  "  a  certain 
natural  pride  in  recounting  his  hereditary  privileges  "  ?*" ' 
(Kennedy),  a(pride^^xhibited  even  in  the  sadness  of  (jcc-o*^"^  '^ 
heart  with  which  they  are  recounted  in  Romans 
9:3-5.  ««  In  circumcision  eight  days  old."^  This 
was  according  to  Jewish  custom  and  Paul  was  thus 
an  orthodox  Israelite  (Gen.  17:12;  Lev.  12:3). 
Circumcision  was  practiced  in  Egypt  and  the  papyri 
give  instances  of  it.  Ishmaelites  postponed  it  till  the 
thirteenth  year  (Gen.  17:25).  He  was  also  "  of  the 
stock  of  Israel."  ^  He  was  not  a  proselyte  (Vincent), 
but  belonged  to  the  original  stock  of  Jacob  whose 

*  £?  T£?.  do/te~i  aXXog  Trenocdivat  iv  aapkij  kyu)  fiaXXov. 
Condition  of  the  first  class,  determined  as  fulfilled.  Cf.  Rob- 
ertson, "  Grammar,"  pp.    1007  fF.      Cf.   [xri   do^rjzs  in  Matt. 

3=9- 

^  TTzpiTopifi  o^Tarjfiepog.  For  the  locative  with  adjectives 
see  Robertson,  "  Grammar,"  p.  523.  For  this  use  of  the 
temporal  adjective  like  TerapTdlo's  (John  1 1  :  39)  see  Robert- 
son, "  Grammar,"  p.  657. 

*  ^k  yi'^uu<i  ^Iffpay^k.  The  use  0^  hk  for  class  or  country  is 
common  (cf.  John  3:1).  'I<rpaijX  is  appositive  genitive.  Cf. 
Robertson,  "  Grammar,"  p.  498. 


1 82  PAUL'S  JOY  IN  CHRIST 

covenant  name  was  Israel  (Gen.  32 :  28).  The  Edom- 
ites  were  descended  from  Isaac  through  Esau  and 
the  Ishmaehtes  also  from  Abraham.  Paul  was  a 
genuine  Israelite  in  the  covenant  of  grace  (Rom. 
9:4;  2  Cor.  1 1 :  22).  Once  more  Paul  was  "  of  the 
tribe  of  Benjamin."  *  Benjamin  was  the  son  of 
Rachel,  Jacob's  beloved  wife  (Gen.  35:i7f.),  and 
alone  of  the  sons  of  Jacob  was  born  in  Palestine. 
The  tribe  of  Benjamin  gave  the  first  king  whose 
name  (Saul)  Paul  also  bore  (i  Sam.  9:  if.).  This 
tribe  also  had  the  post  of  honour  in  battle.  "  After 
thee  Benjamin  "  (Judg.  5  :  14).  Mordecai  was  a  Ben- 
jaminite.  Benjamin  alone  remained  faithful  to  Judah 
when  the  kingdom  was  divided  ( I  Kings  12:  21).  After 
the  exile  it  was  merged  with  Judah  (Ezra  4:  1).  Paul 
was  evidently  proud  of  his  descent  from  this  httle  tribe 
(cf.  Rom.  1 1 : 1  ;  Acts  13:21).  Paul  was  a  true  Ben- 
jaminite  as  a  persecutor  before  his  conversion :  *•  In 
the  morning  he  shall  devour  the  prey  and  at  night  he 
shall  divide  the  spoil "  (Gen.  49 :  27).  Paul  was  also 
"  a  Hebrew  of  the  Hebrews."  ^  By  this  phrase  Paul 
means  that  he  is  a  Hebrew  sprung  from  Hebrews. 
The  word  Hebrew  originally  meant  "  passed  over  " 
in  reference  to  Abram  the  Hebrew,  as  designated  by 
foreigners.  It  was  first  used  then  to  distinguish 
Abraham's  descendants  from  other  nations  or 
peoples.  They  themselves  preferred  the  term  Israel 
or  children  of  Israel.  After  the  return  from  the  ex- 
*  <poXfi<i  Bevtafieiv.  '  ^E^paio^  i^  ^EjSpaitov. 


THE   HOLY  QUEST  183 

ile  "  Jew  " '  came  to  be  the  common  term  in  contrast 
with  Greek  (cf.  Rom.  i  :  16),  "  we  being  Jews  by  na- 
ture, and  not  sinners  of  the  Gentiles  "  (Gal.  2  :  15). 
Hebrew  was  now  used  chiefly  for  the  language  and 
customs  of  the  Jews  rather  than  for  the  race.  It 
served  to  distinguish  between  two  kinds  of  Jews. 
Those  that  spoke  only  the  Greek  language  and  fol- 
lowed some  of  the  Greek  customs  were  termed 
Hellenists,^  while  those  who  spoke  Aramaic  (He- 
brew as  in  Acts  21  :  40;  22  :  2)  were  called  Hebrews. 
This  distinction  is  drawn  in  Acts  6 :  i  between  the 
Hebrew  and  Hellenistic  widows,  both  classes  being 
Jewish  Christians.  Paul  lived  in  Tarsus,  a  great 
Greek  city  of  Cilicia,  and  spoke  Greek,  but  he  also 
spoke  Aramaic  and  was  loyal  to  the  Hebrew  tra- 
ditions of  the  fathers.  He  comes  of  the  Aramaean 
line,  not  the  Hellenistic.  He  belonged  to  the  purest 
and  most  loyal  type  of  Jews,  the  Hebrews.  He  was 
both  Hellenist  and  Hebrew. 

But  this  is  not  all.  In  his  own  personal  character- 
istics the  same  fidelity  is  found,  "  as  touching  the 
law,  a  Pharisee."'  Besides  the  inherited  privileges  he 
made  his  choice  along  the  same  line.  He  was  in 
truth  the  son  of  a  Pharisee  (Acts  23  :  6).  But  he  was 
a  loyal  and  zealous  Pharisee  as  opposed  to  the  Sad- 
ducees.  He  was  a  diligent  student  of  Pharisaism 
(Gal.  I  :  14)   at   the   feet   of  Gamaliel   in  Jerusalem 

*  ^louSalo? — "EX^Tjv.  ^  'EXXTjviaryj'i. 

^  KaTo.  voixov  4>apiffaTog.      Cf.  Acts  22  :  3  ;   23  :  6  ;  26  :  5. 


l84  PAUL'S  JOY  IN  CHRIST 

(Acts  22  :  3)  and  he  lived  a  Pharisee  "  after  thestrait- 
est  sect  of  our  reHgion  "  (Acts  26 :  5),  Indeed,  in  some 
points  Paul  was  always  a  Pharisee  (Acts  23  : 6).  They 
were  not  wrong  in  everything  (cf.  Matt.  23 :  3).  Paul 
undoubtedly  received  a  deep  impress  from  the  school 
of  Hillel  and  he  always  revered  the  law  of  Moses  as 
the  law  of  God  (Rom.  7:  12,  14,  etc.).  The  Phari- 
sees in  reality  struck  down  the  law  of  God  by  their 
tradition  (Mark  15:2,  3,  6).  "  As  touching  zeal,  per- 
secuting the  church."  '  Vincent  takes  this  language 
as  ironical.  "  I  was  so  very  zealous  that  I  became  a 
persecutor  of  the  church."  Certainly  the  early  Chris- 
tians knew  full  well  how  true  it  was.  One  of  the  out- 
growths of  Pharisaism  was  the  Zealot  party  which 
brought  on  the  war  with  Rome  and  the  destruction 
of  Jerusalem.  Paul  calls  himself  a  Pharisaic  zealot  in 
Galatians  i  :  14.  The  story  in  Acts  8  :  i  ff.  amply 
justifies  Paul's  ironical  claim.  Once  Paul  did  ex- 
actly what  the  Judaizers  are  now  doing  to  Paul, 
"  As  touching  the  righteousness  which  is  in  the  law 
blameless."  ^  He  means  ceremonially  blameless,  of 
course,  for  that  was  righteousness  to  the  Pharisee. 
This  doing  of  righteousness  was  denounced  by  Jesus 
in  Matthew  6  ;  1-18  as  punctilious  performance  of  out- 
ward rules  "  to  be  seen  of  men "  (cf.  also  Matt. 
23  :  5).     This  righteousness  was  tested  by  the  stand- 

^ /card   C^-^of  dtcoA'wv  ttjv    i/c/c^rjfft'av.      Note   neuter  form 
of  !^r/?.og  here. 

^  /lard  ducaioffuvTjv  zr^v  iv  vofit^  yevofievoi  afie/xnTO^, 


THE  HOLY  QUEST  185 

ard '  of  the  law  (cf.  Ps.  Sol.  9  :  9).  Jewish  thought 
gave  unusual  prominence  to  righteousness?  In 
Romans  7  Paul  describes  his  own  fruitless  efforts  to 
satisfy  his  own  conscience  when  once  disturbed  out 
of  its  complacent  attitude.  The  rich  young  ruler 
(Mark  10 :  17-22)  shows  the  self-satisfaction  of  the 
average  Jewish  moralist  whose  religion  consisted  in 
doing  ritual  and  legal  requirements.  He  felt  himself 
"  blameless  "  though  he  loved  self  more  than  God. 

Paul  has  made  out  such  a  good  case  for  himself 
that  one  may  half-way  believe  that  Paul  regrets  his 
charge  or  at  least  thinks  it  useless.  But  he  is  simply 
making  good  his  claim  of  "  I  yet  more  "  in  verse  4. 
He  is  trying  to  shame,  if  possible,  those  who,  though 
nominal  Christians,  still  set  up  their  own  claims  to 
religious  aristocracy.  It  is  quite  possible  to-day  for 
Christians  to  have  pride,  forsooth,  not  in  Christ,  but 
in  themselves,  in  their  social  prestige,  in  the  church  to 
which  they  belong,  in  their  denomination,  in  the  pas- 
tor, in  the  music,  in  the  church  architecture.  Each 
denomination  may  develop  a  special  kind  of  pride 
on  a  par  with  Paul's  pride  as  a  Pharisee.  Certainly 
each  denomination  has  developed  a  special  type  of 
piety  and  Christian  life.  ■'' 

3.    Change  of  Values  (verses  7  f.). 

This  category  of  religious  prerogatives  which  Paul 

*  izaxa. 

*  Cf.  Weber,  "  Lehren  des  Talmud,"  pp.  209  f. 


I86  PAUL'S  JOY  IN  CHRIST 

has  made  in  verses  5  and  6  once  satisfied  Paul's 
ideals.  They  were  such  things  as '  "  I  used  to  count 
up  with  a  miserly  greed  and  reckon  to  my  credit" 
(Lightfoot).  Like  a  miser  he  took  peculiar  delight 
in  the  clink  of  each  piece  of  gold.  They  were 
"  gains,"  ^  indeed,  "  profits  "  of  race  and  religion  and 
personal  zeal,  each  item  in  the  old  credit  side  of  the 
ledger  once  gave  Paul  peculiar  zest  as  he  counted 
them  up  to  his  own  spiritual  delectation.  These 
items  were,  indeed,  usually  considered  the  greatest 
blessings  of  life.  Sir  W.  Robertson  Nicoll  has  dis- 
cussed in  The  Bntish  Weekly  (191 3)  the  "  Greatest 
Joys  of  Life "  with  his  readers.  They  do  not  all 
agree,  though  most  find  joy  in  the  spiritual  values  of 
life.     It  is  a  sum  in  profit  and  loss. 

Now  Paul  has  undergone  an  intellectual  and  spiri- 
tual revolution.  ♦'  Howbeit,"  ^  he  says,  in  sharp  con- 
trast to  the  old  standpoint,  "  what  things  were  gains 
to  me,"  "  these  have  I  counted  loss  for  Christ."  •*  His 
words  are  measured  and  deliberate.  He  has  come  to 
count  and  still  counts  (the  present  perfect  tense, 
punctiliar-linear),  but  not  as  he  used  to  count.  Now 
he  counts  "  for  Christ's  sake,"  the  new  factor  in  the 
situation,  the  new  standard  of  values,  the  new  reason 

'  aVfva  almost  rr:  o\a.     Cf.  Robertson,  "  Grammar,"  p.  727. 

^  Kipfi-q.  The  plural  was  usually  used  of  money.  Jcbb, 
Soph.  Antig.,  1326. 

^ akXa  a  real  adversative  here.  Cf.  Robertson,  "Gram- 
mar," pp.  1 1 86  f. 

*  TaDra  ijyij^iai.  dcd  tuv  ^ptaTuv  Zyjfiiav. 


^u^ 


THE  HOLY  QUEST  187 

for  life.  Because  of  Christ,  who  has  thus  stepped  in^ 
between  *  Paul  and  his  old  ideals,  Paul  has  reversed 
his  entire  outlook  on  life.  He  has  changed  the  head- 
ing at  the  top  of  the  ledger.  He  has  erased"  gains  " 
(credit)  and  written  "  loss  "  (debit).  They  are  minus 
in  the  sum  of  hfe  and  plus  no  more.  This  word  loss 
ends  the  sentence  with  a  duh  thud,  but  Paul  is  not 
done  with  the  subject. 

He  starts  all  over  again  with  glowing  eagerness 
and  passion,  dropping  the  tone  of  irony  above.  He 
piles  up  particles  in  the  effort  to  express  his  vehement 
emotion  on  the  subject.  The  "  yea,  verily,  and  "  very 
imperfectly  renders  the  Greek  original^  which  is  more 
precisely,  "  But  indeed  therefore  at  least  and."  So 
Paul  repeats  his  verb  in  the  present  tense,  "  I  do 
count "  ^  by  the  new  standard  of  values,  not  merely 
the  religious  prerogatives  named  above,  but  "  all 
things  "  ^  literally  and  emphatically  as  "  lo.ss  "  "  for  the 
excellency  of  the  knowledge  of  Christ  Jesus  my 
Lord."'  This  is  no  momentary  impulse,  no  spias-  ^^J^'2') 
modic  rhapsody  on  Paul's  part.  Here  he  takes  his  r=i=:::=^" 
stand.  This  is  his  choice  in  life.  Paul  has  weighed 
the  whole  world  ("  all  things  ")  beside  Christ.  He 
has   come   to   the   same  conclusion  that  Jesus  an- 

*  dXkd  fiev  oZv  ye  kat.  Ellicott  notes  that  aXXd  contrasts, 
{ikv  confirms,  o5v  epitomizes,  ye  intensifies,  fioi  proceeds  with 
addition.  ^  ijyouiiai.  *  Ttdvra. 

°  did  TO  uizepi^ov  Tr/<i  yvuxTzwisAptaTou  ^Irjffou  Tou  Kupiou 

flOU. 


l88  PAUL'S   JOY   IN   CHRIST 

nounced  as  wisdom  when  He  said  :  "  For  what  shall 
a  man  be  profited  if  he  shall  gain  *  the  whole  world, 
and  forfeit 2  his  life?"  (Matt.  16:26).  "For  what 
shall  a  man  give  in  exchange  ^  for  his  soul  ?  "  In 
spiritual  barter  what  is  the  price  of  a  soul  ?  Mr. 
John  D.  Rockefeller  is  credited  with  wealth  to  the 
amount  of  a  billion  dollars.  But  what  is  that  by  the 
side  of  his  soul  ?  The  Czar  of  Russia  was  said  to  be 
worth  many  biUions  of  dollars  with  an  incredible  in- 
come. But  what  is  that  beside  the  worth  of  his 
soul  ?  And  the  Czar  has  had  to  abdicate  his  throne 
before  the  wrath  of  his  people.  The  knowledge  *  of 
Jesus, "  the  most  excellent  of  the  sciences,"  overtops  ' 
all  else,  rising  sheer  above  all  else  in  hfe  like  the 
highest  mountain  peak,  dwarfing  all  other  knowledge 
and  all  of  everything  else  on  earth.  Christ  is  king 
of  the  intellect  as  of  the  heart.  No  other  knowledge 
is  so  exalting  and  so  uplifting  as  that  of  Jesus  the 
Lord  of  life.  Christians  ought  to  be  the  noblest  of 
men  with  such  a  commanding  intellectual  atmosphere 
in  Christ.  Theology  is  still  the  queen  of  the  sciences 
in  subject  and  object  of  research. 

Life  is  a  mystery  at  best,  full  of  change  and  sur- 

*  /lepSTJiTTj.      Cf.  kip8-q.  *  ZrjfinoO^.      Cf.  ^fjiiia. 
'  avTakXayita. 

*  yvuxnii  experimental  knowledge. 

*  TO  VTTSfii^iiv.  The  articular  participle  here,  like  the  ar- 
ticular adjective,  used  as  a  substantive.  Cf.  Robertson, 
'♦Grammar,"  pp.  iio8f.      Cf.  I    Cor.  4:  17  for  to  iXa<pp6v 


THE  HOLY  QUEST  1 89 

prises.  Relative  values  in  life  change  with  the  years. 
The  child  is  happy  with  his  Christmas  toys.  "  When 
I  was  a  child,  I  spake  as  a  child,  I  felt  as  a  child,  I 
thought  as  a  child ;  now  that  I  am  become  a  man,  I 
have  put  away  childish  things  "  (i  Cor.  13:11).  Paul 
is  now  a  man  in  Christ  Jesus  who  dominates  the 
world  of  manhood  for  him,  "  Christ  Jesus  my  Lord." 
For  Christ's  sake '  Paul  did  suffer  loss,^  yea,  the  loss 
of  "the  all  things," 3  the  sum-total  of  his  old  Ufe's 
values.  His  own  family  probably  regarded  him  as  a 
disgrace  to  Judaism.  His  Pharisaic  confreres  con- 
sidered him  a  deserter  from  the  cause.  The  Jews  in 
general  treated  him  as  a  renegade  and  a  turn-coat. 
He  had  paid  the  price  for  Christ's  sake.  But  it  is 
worth  the  price.  He  has  no  regrets.  "  I  do  count 
(the  third  use  of  this  verb)  but  refuse  "  ^  beneath  my 
feet,  not  as  diadems  for  my  head.  These  "  pearls  " 
Paul  deliberately  flings  to  the  dogs,  if  not  to  the 
swine,  as  trash.  It  is  sad  to  see  the  poor  picking  for 
treasures  in  the  piles  of  refuse.  Paul  is  not  a  mad- 
man in  reckless  disregard  of  all  values.  It  is  the 
greatest  bargain  of  life.  He  does  it  "  that  I  may 
gain  Christ."  ^  The  new  "  gain  "  is  Christ.  He  lost 
the  Jewish  world  to  gain  Christ  the  Lord  of  all. 

» dt'  8v. 

2  iZrjficwdjjv.     Aorist  ind.     Definite  period  of  his  conver- 
sion. ^  zd  TzdvTa. 

*  GkufiaXa.     Cf.    Sirach    27:4.     Either    from    eiV   Rma<i 
^aXkui  I  fling  to  the  dogs  or  from  akmp  dung. 

*  'iva  y^piaxw  icepd-Qauj.      Cf.  kipdrj. 


IQO  PAUL'S  JOY  IN  CHRIST 

4.     Gaining  Christ  (verses  9-1 1). 

What  is  it  to  "  gain  Christ "  ?  Paul  gave  up  all  to 
win  more  in  Christ.  Lightfoot  ^  properly  notes  that 
"  the  earnest  reiteration  of  St.  Paul's  language  here 
expresses  the  earnestness  of  his  desire."  Paul  knows 
the  power  of  repetition  on  the  mind.  It  is  a  pity- 
that  verse  9  begins  right  in  the  middle  of  a  subordi- 
nate clause,  separating  two  verbs  ^  ("  gain,"  "  be 
found")  used  with  the  same  final  particle  ("that"^. 
As  a  matter  of  fact  the  thought  in  verses  9-1 1  is 
simply  the  expansion  of  that  in  the  last  words  of 
verse  8,  "  that  I  may  gain  Christ."  To  be  sure,  Paul 
had  gained  Christ  at  once  when  he  surrendered  his 
Jewish  prerogatives  as  sources  of  gain  and  pride.  But 
he  had  not  exhausted  the  unsearchable  riches  in 
Christ  (Eph,  3  :  8).  All  the  treasures  of  wisdom  and 
knowledge  are  in  Christ  who  is  the  mystery  of  God 
(Col.  2 :  2  f.).  There  are  riches  untold  still  ahead  of 
Paul  which  beckon  him  on.  These  he  can  only 
enjoy  when  he  has  appropriated  them  and  has  made 
them  his  own.  These  verses  are  so  rich  in  ideas  that 
they  overlap  and  overflow. 

"  And  be  found  in  him." ''  Dying  is  gaining  ** 
Christ,  Paul  has  already  told  us  (i  :  21),  gaining  Christ 


'  Thus  /2ip8rj,  /cepSyjffu) — yjyrjfiat,  ijyoufiai,  ^yoofiat — 
^Tjfxiav,  l^rjiiiav,  i!^7)fitcu0i^v — dtd,  dcd,  8id — Trdvra,  to  navra 
—yvwtrecji,  yvibvai — Xpiaxbv,  Apiarou,  Xpiarov. 

'  uspdrjffu),  eupsOu).  ^  Iva. 

*  nai  eupeOut  iv  aurip.  '^  fiipSo^, 


THE  HOLY  QUEST  I91 

in  full,  though  life  is  Christ  to  Paul.  Paul  is  already 
"  in  Christ "  in  the  real  mystic  union.  But  Christ 
had  new  riches  for  Paul  each  day.  The  word  "  be 
found "  has  a  semitechnical  sense  of  •'  turn  out 
actually  to  be"  (Kennedy)  as  in  Galatians  2:17 
("  we  ourselves  also  were  found  sinners  "  ').  This 
complete  identification  of  the  believer  with  Christ  is 
"  the  central  fact  in  Paul's  religious  life  and  thought " 
(Kennedy).  He  probably  here  is  thinking  of  the 
consummation  when  we  shall  all  stand  before  the 
judgment  seat  of  Christ  (2  Cor.  5  :  10).  Then  in 
reality  Paul  wishes  it  to  be  manifest  to  all  that  he  is 
in  Christ.  When  death  overtakes  Paul  he  wishes  to 
be  found  by  death  in  Christ.  James  Mofifatt  {Ex- 
pository Times,  October,  191 2,  p.  46)  cites  Epictetus^ 
as  using  •'  found  "  of  death :  "  I  want  to  be  found  in 
right  thoughts  of  God."  It  is  a  not  uncommon 
thought  with  people  as  to  what  they  should  like  to 
be  doing  when  death  finds  them.  Preachers  are 
sometimes  stricken  v/ith  death  in  the  pulpit.  Paul's 
desire  is  that  all  shall  know  that  then  he  is  actually 
in  Christ.  In  particular  he  is  clear  that  then  he  will 
not  have  ^  a  righteousness  of  his  own,^  that  which  is 
of  the  lavv,^  the  sort  that  he  once  gloried  in,  the 
Pharisaic    righteousness    of    rules    and    ceremonial 

^£L>pidrj/j.£>  kai  auTo)  d/iaprcoXoi. 

^  eupsd^vat.      Cf.     also     Epictetus    4:10-12.     Cf.    Gen. 
5  :  24  kai  00^  7)>jpiffk£Te  diort  fiETiOrj/csv  auzov  6  Oe6<i. 
^  p.ri  ly^wv. 
*  ip.T]v^  dckacoauvTjv.  ^  ttjv  in  vofiou. 


192  PAUL'S  JOY  IN  CHRIST 

punctilios,  "  but  that  which  is  through  faith  in 
Christ,"  *  in  a  word,  "  the  righteousness  which  is  from 
God  by  faith,"  ^  upon  the  basis  ^  of  faith  and  issuing 
from  *  God,  the  God-kind  of  righteousness  (Rom. 
I  :  17),  the  only  real  righteousness  in  Gentile  or 
Jew  (Rom.  I  :  18-3:20).  Thus  alone  can  one  gain 
a  right  relation  (righteousness)  with  God.  It  is  not 
found  outside  of  Christ.  Only  thus  is  God's  stand- 
ard met.  This  is  God's  gracious  way  of  treating 
those  as  righteous  who  have  no  righteousness  of 
their  own.  We  may  call  it  "  forensic  "  if  we  wish, 
but  that  description  in  no  way  nullifies  the  fact.  It 
is  also  ethical,  for  only  thus  is  it  possible  for  us  to 
become  righteous  ourselves.  God's  love  and  forgive- 
ness start  us  on  a  new  plane  and  guide  us  in  the  new 
path.  It  is  not  a  bald  legal  transaction,  but  "  for- 
giveness with  the  Forgiver  in  it  "  (Rainy,  Exp.  Bible 
on  Phil.,  p.  231).  "  The  only  way  of  entering  on  new 
relations  with  God,  or  ourselves  becoming  new  men, 
is  the  way  of  faith"  (Rainy,  p.  233). 
>>  Paul  repeats  the  passion  of  his  soul,  "  that  I  may 
know   him,"®  that  I    may  come  to  know  him  by 

^  dXXa  rijv  dtd  Tziarecoi;  Xpirrroo.  Note  the  article  here 
which  is  almost  demonstrative,  Cf.  Robertson,  "  Gram- 
mar," p.  780.  The  genitive  Ay>ijoTof)  is  objective.  Q\.  ibid., 
pp.  499  fF. 

^  T)jv  ifi  dsoT)  bifiawahvr^v  km  tj^  iriaret. 

'  km.     The  medium  is  expressed  by  did. 

^  TOO  yvibvai  auTuv.  The  infinitive  of  purpose  (with  rou) 
is  common  enough.     Cf.  Robertson,  "  Grammar,"  p.  1088. 


THE  HOLY  QUEST  1 93 

richer  experience.'  He  takes  up  the  word  "  knowl- 
edge "  from  verse  8  and  presses  the  idea  home.  Paul 
longs  to  •'  go  in  deeper  "  and  to  learn  more  of  Christ 
by  inner  experience.  He  explains  this  knowledge  as 
the  natural  result  of  winning  Christ  and  being  found 
in  Him.  "  For  with  Paul  this  Christian  Gnosis  is  the 
highest  reach  of  Christian  experience  "  (Kennedy). 
Paul  takes  up  some  of  the  items  in  the  higher 
knowledge  of  Christ.  "  The  power  of  his  resur- 
rection." 2  Paul  is  here  thinking  not  of  the  his- 
torical fact  of  Christ's  resurrection  nor  of  his  own 
resurrection  after  death.  It  is  rather  Paul's  ex- 
perimental knowledge  of  the  power  or  force  in 
Christ's  resurrection  in  its  influence  on  Paul's  own 
inner  life  (Vincent).  Cf.  Romans  6:4-11;  Colossians 
3 : 1  ff.  Lightfoot  notes  various  aspects  of  this  power 
as  the  assurance  of  immortality  (Rom.  8  :  1 1  ;  i  Cor. 
15  :  14  f.),  as  the  triumph  over  sin  and  the  pledge  of 
justification  (Rom.  4  :  24  f.),  as  showing  the  dignity 
of  the  human  body  (i  Cor.  6 :  13-15  ;  Phil,  3:21),  as 
stimulating  the  whole  moral  and  spiritual  being 
(Rom.  6:4;  Gal.  2:20;  Col.  2:12:  Eph.  2 :  5).^ 
There  is  the  dynamic  of  the  Cross  because  of  the 
Resurrection  of  Jesus.  Paul  felt  the  grip  of  this 
truth  in  its  appeal  to  holy  living.     He  adds  *'  the 

^  yivwaku)  is  common  in  this  sense.  Cf.  i  Cor.  13:  12. 
Cf.  Eph.  I  :  17-20  ;  John  17:3. 

^  T/yV  SOva/itv  r?^9  d'^aardffeojg  auzou.      Cf.  our  dynamite. 

'  Cf.  Westcott's  "  Gospel  of  the  Resurrection,"  ii.  §31  f. 
Cf.  Ellicott,  in  loco. 


194  PAUL'S  JOY  IN  CHRIST 

fellowship  of  his  sufferings."'  It  is  "  participation " 
in  the  sufferings  of  Christ,  Certainly  Paul  is  here 
reveahng  "  the  deepest  secrets  "  (Kennedy)  of  his  own 
Christian  experience.  "  Being  in  Christ  involves 
fellowship  with  Christ  at  all  points — His  obedient  life, 
His  spirit,  His  sufferings,  His  death,  and  His  glory  " 
(Vincent).  Paul  is  not  thinking  of  martyrdom  for 
himself,  but  of  the  "  spiritual  process  which  is  carried 
on  in  the  soul  of  him  who  is  united  to  Christ " 
(Kennedy).  As  Paul  understands  the  power  of 
Christ's  death  and  resurrection,  he  is  able  to  under- 
stand His  sufferings  and  to  enter  into  them  with  sym- 
pathy and  spiritual  blessing  as  we  drink  from  the  cup 
that  Christ  drank  (2  Cor,  4:  10  ;  I  Pet.  4  :  13).  The 
climax  is  reached  by  Paul  in  the  words  "  becoming 
conformed  unto  his  death."  ^  One  thinks  at  once  of 
Romans  6:3"  baptized  into  his  death "  and  5 
"  united  with  him  in  the  likeness  of  his  death  "  and 
then  also  Galatians  2  :  20 :  "I  have  been  crucified 
with  Christ."  We  are  in  Paul's  Holy  of  Holies  in  his 
relations  with  Christ.  He  suffers  when  Christ  suffers. 
He  dies  when  Christ  dies.  He  lives  when  Christ 
lives.  The  language  is  symbolic,  to  be  sure,  but 
represents  the  deepest  and  highest  things  in  life  for 
Paul.  This  likeness  to  Christ  is  our  destiny  (Rom, 
8 :  29),  but  the  process  begins  here.     If  we  are  to 

'  Roivioviav  naOTjfidriov  ahroo. 

*  aufi-tiixxpt'^oiisvo^  T^>   Oavdru}   aoTOu.      Cf.   adfifiopfpo^  in 
Rom.  8  :  29. 


THE   HOLY   QUEST  195 

share  in  the  glory  of  Jesus,  we  must  also  share  in  the 
suffering  (Rom.  8:  17  f.,  28  f.).  So  Paul  rejoices  to 
fill  up  on  his  part  the  sufferings  of  Christ  left  over 
for  him  (Col.  i  :  24).  In  dying  on  the  Cross  Christ 
was  regarded  as  sin  (2  Cor.  5  :  21)  and  identified  Him- 
self with  the  sin  of  the  world.  So  now  we  are 
identified  with  Christ's  sufferings  and  death. 

Paul  closes  with  the  modest  hope,  not  at  all  in 
doubt,  expressed  in  conditional  form,  "  if  by  any 
means  I  may  attain  unto  the  resurrection  from  the 
dead."  '  Paul  does  not  here  deny  the  general  resur- 
rection of  the  dead  which  he  teaches  in  i  Corinthians 
15  :  42.  He  is  apparently  here  thinking  only  of  the 
glorious  resurrection  of  the  pious  dead  and  expresses 
the  devout  hope  of  sharing  in  that  without  throwing 
doubt  at  all  upon  his  confidence  in  the  matter.  At 
any  rate  this  passage  makes  it  perfectly  clear  that 
Paul  had  no  positive  conviction  that  Jesus  would 
come  for  him  while  ahve  before  death.  His  language 
in  I  Thessalonians  4 :  15  "we  that  are  alive  "  does 
not  mean  that.     He  simply  groups  himself  with  the 

'  e?  nu)^  fiaravTTJffu)  eiq  tyjv  i^avd<7rrj(riv  ttjv  i/c  ve/^pcHv. 
The  verb  /zaTavrrjffw  may  be  either  future  ind.  or  aorist  subj. 
The  use  of  etTtw;  expresses  a  half  purpose  also.  The  use  of 
l^avdaz-Qffiv  rather  than  dvaffx-qaiv  has  not  been  explained. 
Lightfoot  takes  it  to  be  because  of  ik  with  vsKpihv  and  to  em- 
phasize the  resurrection  of  the  righteous  out  from  the  dead. 
Ellicott  takes  it  to  be  the  first  resurrection  as  in  Rev.  20  :  5, 
P  and  so  interprets  i  Thess.  4:  16  where,  however,  the  con- 
(_trast  is  between  Christians  living  and  dead.  The  point  is  not 
made  out  (V^incent). 


196  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

living  for  he  is  alive  when  he  writes  (cf.  I  Thess. 
5  :  2 ;  2  Thess.  2  :  2).  He  hoped  that  Christ  would 
come  soon,  but  he  has  nowhere  said  that  He  would 
do  so. 

5.    The  Single  Chase  (verses  12-14). 

Paul  does  not  lose  the  sense  of  proportion  in  the 
midst  of  his  rhapsody.  He  is  keenly  conscious  of  a 
possible  misunderstanding  of  his  language.  He 
seems  to  be  thinking  of  "  some  at  Philippi  who  were 
claiming  high  sanctity  and  so  affecting  superior  airs 
towards  their  brethren  "  (Kennedy)  with  inevitable 
irritations  and  jealousies.  The  reaction  from  Jewish 
formalism  easily  went  from  liberty  to  license.  It 
was  not  a  mere  rhetorical  question  that  Paul  raised 
when  he  said :  "  Shall  we  continue  in  sin  that  grace 
may  abound  ?  "  (Rom.  6  :  i).  The  antinomian  spirit 
was  a  live  thing  then  and  now.  One  wing  of  the 
Gnostics  boldly  argued  that  they  were  free  from  guilt 
in  sins  of  the  body  so  long  as  the  spirit  communed 
with  the  Lord.  The  so-called  Christian  Scientists 
to-day  deny  the  reality  of  and  guilt  for  sin.  Some 
evolutionists  treat  sin  not  as  a  moral  problem  at  all, 
but  simply  as  an  animal  inheritance,  "  nature  red  in 
tooth  and  claw,"  not  yet  shaken  off.  Professional 
perfectionists  likewise  to-day  minimize  their  own 
faults  with  all  the  skill  of  the  Pharisees  who  "  say 
and  do  not  "  (Matt.  23  :  3).  So  Paul  says  pointedly : 
"  Not  that  I  have  already  obtained,  or  am  already 


THE  HOLY  QUEST  197 

perfect." '  Paul  thus  disclaims  absolute  perfection  in 
unequivocal  language.  He  gathers  up  in  the  verb 
"  obtained  "  ^  or  "  attained  "  all  his  experiences  and 
achievements  thus  far ,3  all  that  he  has  described  in 
verses  8-11.  He  then  explains  more  literally  his 
figure  by  the  simpler  "  or  am  already  made  perfect." 
The  change  of  tense  ^  is  not  accidental  or  a  confusion 
of  tenses.  He  means  to  express  his  present  state  of 
imperfection.  Absolute  perfection  he  expressly  de- 
nies. By  the  present  perfect  tense  he  gathers  up  the 
whole  past  in  its  relation  to  the  present.  He  has  not 
yet  reached  the  goal.  He  is  here  discussing  moral 
and  spiritual  perfection  in  Christ.  There  is  a  rela- 
tive perfection  which  was  true  of  Paul  and  of  all  who 
grow  in  grace  at  all  and  are  no  longer  babes  in 
Christ  (cf.  3 :  15).  Paul  is  not  speaking  of  that. 
This  holy  dissatisfaction  with  his  spiritual  attain- 
ments and  eager  longing  for  loftier  heights  in  Christ 
we  often  see  in  Paul's  writings  (cf.  Eph.  3:  17-19  J 
4:13-16;  Col.  1:28).  Ignatius  (Eph.  iii)  says: 
"  I  do  not  command  you  as  though  I  were  some- 

^  ou^  ore  r/d-/j  sXal^ov  rj  rjdrj  reTsletoJfiat.  In  New  Testa- 
ment ou^  ore  is  used  to  prevent  misunderstanding,  not  as  in 
classic  Greek  =  not  only,  but.  zshcdco  is  as  common  in  He- 
brews and  means  to  bring  to  an  end. 

2  Ua^ov.  Constative  aorist.  Cf.  Robertson,  "  Grammar," 
pp.  831-834.      Cf.  John  17:4  iSo^aaa. 

*  rereXetcDfiai.  Present  perfect.  This  tense  is  kept  distinct 
from  the  aorist  in  the  New  Testament.  Cf.  Robertson, 
**  Grammar,"  pp.  898-902. 


198  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

what,  for  even  though  I  am  in  bonds  for  the  Name's 
sake,  I  am  not  yet  perfected  in  Christ."  * 

"  But  I  press  on,"  ^  The  verb  is  used  of  the  chase 
and  of  the  race.  ElHcott  renders  it :  "  But  I  am 
pressing  onwards."  The  verb  means  hterally  "  I 
pursue"  or  "  I  follow  after"  (A.  V.).  "  The  pursuit 
is  no  groping  after  something  undefined,  nor  is  it 
prosecuted  with  any  feeling  of  doubt  as  to  the  attain- 
ment of  its  end  "  (Vincent).  It  is  the  eager  pursuit 
of  a  definite  goal.'  Not  every  pursuit  wins  its  ob- 
ject, but  Paul  is  not  doubtful  about  the  outcome  of 
this  chase  or  race.  "  I  press  on,"  Paul  says,  "  if  so 
be  that  I  may  lay  hold  on  that  for  which  also  I  was 
laid  hold  on  by  Christ  Jesus."  ^  This  is  his  definite 
object.  This  is  his  real  goal.  He  points  to  his  con- 
version as  the  event  in  his  life  which  explains  every- 
thing.    That  is  the  moving  power  in  Paul's  growth. 


'  00  diaTfiffiTufiac  Vfi'tv^  J»9  Sv  rt  e?  yap  /Zai  didefia:  ^v  rip 
ovotiart,  ooTZiu  dTzyjprnTfiai  iv  ^Irjffoo  JipiffTW. 

''■  diw/zu)  8i.  Paul  is  fond  of  dtiunio  (cf.  Rom.  9  :  30  f.  ; 
12:13;  H-'9J  "  ^°^-  H  =  ^  ;  '  Thess.  5:15).  A  pat- 
ricide fled  into  the  desert  and  was  pursued  by  a  lion  idiokatro 
{idi6k£To)  61:0  XiujvTO'i.  P.  Grenf.  II,  847  (cf.  Moulton  & 
Milligan,  "  Vocabulary,"  for  other  exx.). 

^  Lucian  {Hermot,,  JJ)  has  w/sorepot  izapanoXh  did)/:ovT£<i 
00  /iaziXaiHov.  Cf.  Ex.  15:9.  In  Rom.  9  :  30  both  verbs 
occur  together.     Cf.  i  Cor.  9  :  24;  Eccl.  11  :  10. 

*  ei  kai  KazaXd^uj,  itp  u)  fiai  kaTsXTJ[x(p0jjv  uno  XpiOToo 
'IrjfToTj.  Note  the  subjunctive  here  with  ei  (without  «V),  the 
deliberative  subj.,  a  sort  of  indirect  question  also,  and  a  sort  of 
correction  to  e?  ;r<y?  above  (Kennedy).  Cf.  Robertson, 
"  Grammar,"  pp.  934,  1017,  1044. 


THE  HOLY  QUEST  I99 

Christ  changed  him  from  persecutor  to  apostle.  His 
goal  now  is  to  fulfill  the  ideal  that  Christ  had  for  him 
in  doing  that  (Vincent).  "  He  desires  to  grasp  that 
for  which  he  was  grasped  by  Christ "  {ibid.).  He 
has  come  far  since  that  day  on  the  Damascus  road 
when  Jesus  stopped  his  course  and  turned  him  right 
about.  The  goal  is  still  ahead,  but  Paul  breathlessly 
follows  after.  The  word  "  grasp  " '  is  a  strong  word 
and  is  the  one  used  of  Christ's  grasping  Paul.  He 
means  to  seize  and  hold.^  Christ  holds  Paul  fast  and 
will  not  let  him  go.  Hence  Paul  has  confidence  in 
the  success  of  his  own  pursuit  of  this  goal.  Christ 
leads  him  on,  ever  beckoning  as  the  fleeing  goal  moves 
on  ahead,  but  never  so  far  ahead  as  to  make  Paul 
lose  heart  and  give  up  the  chase.  He  is  not  chasinga 
bag  of  gold  at  the  end  of  a  rainbow  or  a  will-o'-the- 
wisp  in  the  bog.  He  is  pressing  on  as  Christ  leads 
himjyi  and  up  towards  full  manhood  in  Christ  Jesus. 
Once  more  Paul  pauses  to  explain  that  he  has  not 
reached  the  top  of  this  mountain.  "  Brethren,  I 
count  not  myself  yet  to  have  laid  hold."^^     Success  is 

*  karald^io.  Milligan  ("  Greek  Papyri,"  p.  5)  quotes  Ex. 
Vol.  Hercul.  176^  (iii.  b.  c.)  Ka.\  ifiel  /iaTs.O^-q<paix£v  in  sense 
of  "  finding  "  a  friend. 

^  Note  perfective  use  of  fiara —  The  if  ui  either  means 
rouro  icp'  vj  that  with  a  view  to  which  or  in),  toutu)  otc  for 
this  reason  that  either  makes  good  sense  without  much  dif- 
ference. 

'  adsXipoi,  iyuj  ifxaurov  oorto  Xoyi^oiiai  kaT^iXrjcpivat.  The 
word  XoyiZonai  (common  in  Paul's  Epistles)  counts  up  calmly 
the  results  of  a  process  of  reasoning.     Cf.  our  "reckon." 


1 


® 


200  PAUL'S  JOY   IN  CHRIST 

certain,  but  still  ahead  of  him.  This  is  the  third  time 
he  uses  this  word  "  lay  hold  "  and  he  employs  it  here 
in  the  perfect  tense.  He  disclaims  the  state  of  com- 
pletion of  his  holy  quest  The  chase  is  not  over. 
He  has  no  delusions  about  that.  '♦  I  do  not  count 
myself"  at  the  end  of  the  course.  Later  Paul  did 
feel  that  way  (i  Tim.  4 :  7  f.)  when  he  faces  death. 
Not  yet  has  he  grasped  this  flying  goal.  But  does 
he  stop  ?  Not  he.  Does  he  change  his  interest  to 
something  else  ?  Not  Paul.  "  But  one  thing."  ^ 
There  is  power  in  concentration.  The  mark  of  an 
educated  man  is  just  this  power  of  concentration. 
The  one  thing  worth  while  for  Paul  is  to  win  the 
ideal  set  up  for  him  by  Christ,  to  grasp  that  goal. 
He  will  not  be  diverted  to  anything  else.  He  will 
not  be  a  quitter.  He  will  not  run  off  on  side-issues 
like  a  dog  that  jumps  every  trail  and  holds  to  none, 
starting  with  a  deer  and  ending  the  day  barking  at  a 
rat  hole.  He  has  no  time  for  lesser  interests.  He 
has  "  the  expulsive  power  of  a  new  affection  "  that 
drives  out  all  else.  Paul  vividly  pictures  his  tension 
in  the  chase,  *'  forgetting  the  things  which  are  be- 
hind."^ He  is  not  here  thinking  of  his  surrendered. 
Jewish  prerogatives,  but  of  that  part  of  the  Christian 

'  fv  tli.  Ellipsis  and  a  common  one.  Can  supply  tzouo  or 
any  one  of  a  number  of  verbs.  Power  in  the  ellipsis.  Cf. 
Robertson,  "  Grammar,"  p.  391. 

^  zd  fiev  oniauj  ^Tzi^anOavo/ievix^.  Both  gen.  and  ace.  occur 
with  this  verb.  Cf.  Robertson,  "  Grammar,"  p.  509.  Ace. 
very  common  in  the  /zoivrj. 


^v' 


THE   HOLY   QUEST  /  201^ 

* .— — —^ 

course_already_nHi_(Ellicott).  The  precise  phrase  is 
used  of  the  pre-Christian  hfe  as  in  Luke  9  :  62 ;  John 
6 :  66,  but  it  does  not  follow  that  Paul  so  employs  it 
here.  The_  point  is  not  that  Paul  is  ashamed  of  his  ,  ]^ 
past  career  as  a  Christian,  but  simply  that  he  does  not 
lull  himself  to  ease  and  relaxation  of  effort  because 
of  past  achievements.  These  attainmeuts.are  not  to 
serve  as  a  spiritual  soporific,  but  as  a  stimulus  to 
greater  endeavour  (cf.  I  Cor.  4:11-16;  9:19-27; 
2  Cor.  II  :  23-12  :  6).  Paul  runs  on  "  stretching  for- 
ward to  the  things  which  are  before."  '  He  has  no 
time  to  look  backward.  The  rather  he  reaches  out 
with  a  runner's  eagerness,  leaning  forward  to  grasp 
the  goal  with  the  forward  pressing  of  his  body.  It  is 
the  graphic  word  from  the  arena.  The  metaphor 
applies  naturally  to  the  tension  of  the  runner  in  the 
foot  race  as  he  leans  forward  in  his  eagerness.  "  The 
eye  outstrips  and  draws  onward  the  hand,  and  the 
hand  the  foot "  (Bengel).  In  sporting  language  he  is 
on  "  the  home-stretch."  Lightfoot  notes  that  not 
looking  is  fatal  in  the  chariot  race,  Kennedy  quotes 
Jeremiah  7  :  24  of  the  stubborn  disobedience  of  those 
who  "  went  backward  and  not  forward."  ^  Lucian  ^ 
describes  "  the  good  runner  as  only  aiming  at  what 
is  before  and  concentrating  his  attention  on  the  goal." 

^  TO??    be    efiTtpoffdev    iinefCTetvo/jLevo?.      Note    dative  case. 
Cf.  Vulgate  exteridens  meipsum. 

^  iyevvjOvjffav  sig  rd  onKrOev  Kai  ou/z  elg  to.  k'/jLTtpoffffev. 
Calunin.    I  2    fidifieJ   yap  6  [j.kv  dyaddis  dpopeb? — fiovov  rou 
itp6<T(o  i<pcip.evoi  kai  rijv  dtdvoiav  dnozeiva'i  npug  to  rippa. 


202  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

Once  more  Paul  gathers  up  his  feelings  on  this 
great  subject  in  a  succinct  repetition  of  the  whole 
discussion :  "  I  press  on  towards  the  goal  unto  the 
prize  of  the  high  calling  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus," 
•'  I  press  on  towards  the  goal,"  '  he  says.  I  rush  on 
bearing  down  upon  the  mark  set  before  me,  keeping 
my  eye  fixed  on  that  and  not  turning  aside  to  look 
at  anything  else.  "  He  who  pursues  sees  nothing 
but  that  towards  which  he  is  hastening,  and  passes 
by  all  things,  the  dearest  and  the  most  necessary  " 
(Theophylact,  in  loco).  He  presses  on  "  unto  the 
prize  of  the  high  calling  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus." 
The  prize  belongs  to  the  calling.  Paul  uses 
the  same  word  for  prize  ^  in  i  Corinthians  9:24, 
«'  know  ye  not  that  they  that  run  in  a  race  run  all, 
but  one  obtaineth  the  prize?  Even  so  run,  that  ye 
may  attain."  Paul  is  thinking  of  the  crown  of  right- 
eousness (2  Tim.  2  :  10  f. ;  4:8),  not  the  garland  of 
leaves  for  the  victor  in  the  games.  He  calls  this 
"  the  upward  calling."  ^     Paul  speaks  of  "  the  hope 

*  aara  akoizov  bi(hfna.  Cf.  anoTtomzzq  in  Phil.  2  :  4  and 
d.(popu)vTS<;  in  Heb.  12:2.  2!A:oTZ(')<i  was  used  for  the  archer's 
mark  (Job  16:  13  ;  Lam.  3:  12).  Cf.  KaTaan6r.oi)<i  for 
spies  or  scouts  (Heb.  li  :  31)  and  naraanomi<yai  for  spying 
out  (Gal.  2  :  4). 

''■  Tu  ^pa^z'iov.  The  technical  word  is  aOXov,  but  j3f)aj3suu} 
is  used  of  umpire  in  Col.  2:18;  3:15.  But  jSpafielov  in 
sense  of"  prize  "  occurs  in  Vettius  Valens  174^',  288^  and  in 
Priene  Inscriptions  iiS^  (II  b.  c).  Cf.  Moulton  &  Milli- 
gan,  "  Vocabulary." 

't^?  clvw  kXTJa£u}<s.      Cf.  John  II  141  ;   Heb.  12  :  15. 


THE  HOLY   QUEST  203 

of  the  calling"  (Eph.  I  :  18;  4:4)  and  in  Hebrews 
3  :  I  we  have  "  the  heavenly  calling."  It  is  still  the 
act '  of  calling.  God  is  calling  and  beckoning  us  on 
and  up  towards  Himself  (cf.  Eph.  i  :  18).  It  is  God's 
calHng  in  Christ  Jesus  (Heb.  12:  i  f.).  Chrysostom 
{in  loco)  says  the  specially  honoured  among  the  ath- 
letes were  not  crowned  "  below  in  the  stadium,"  ^ 
"  but  the  king  calling  them  up  crowns  them  there."  ' 
That  crown  is  laid  up  for  all  who  run  the  race  with 
patience  and  love  Christ's  appearing  (2  Tim.  4 :  8). 
I  have  seen  the  English  skylark  leap  up  from  the 
meadow  and  have  heard  him  sing  his  glorious  way 
upward  out  of  sight  into  the  empyrean. 

'  fiXrjai?.  ^  ev  rc5  ffvadiu)  kdrut, 

*  d.kX  avu)  /:akiaa<i  6  fiaffiXeui  i/^el  azecpavo'i. 


IX 

FOLLOWING  THE  ROAD 
(3:  15-21) 

THE  skylark  comes  down  to  earth  again. 
Jesus  brought  Peter,  James,  and  John  down 
from  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration  to  the 
valley  of  sorrow  and  struggle  where  there  was  work 
to  do.  Even  the  aeroplane  has  to  come  back  to  earth 
to  replenish  its  supplies.  Paul  does  not  work  a  fig- 
ure to  death.  He  still  has  in  mind  the  question  of 
Christian  perfection  which  he  discusses  with  less  pas- 
sion, but  with  equal  force.  His  very  calmness  after 
the  whirl  of  words  adds  vigour  to  the  ending.  The 
Holy  Quest  has  its  monotonous  moments  when  one 
is  tempted  to  give  it  up  or  is  in  danger  of  losing  his 
way.  Mysticism  is  in  peril  of  becoming  only  a  mist 
or  fog. 

I.     Getting  the  Right  Point  of  View  (verse  15). 

"  Let  us  therefore,  as  many  as  are  perfect,  be  thus 
minded." '  This  simple  sentence  fairly  bristles  with 
difficulties.  It «'  shows  the  effect  of  the  strong  emo- 
tion which  pervades  the  preceding  passage "  (Vin- 
cent),    Paul   had  just   categorically  and   repeatedly 

*  "Oaot  ouv  riXecoi,  tuuto  ^poyw/iev, 
204 


FOLLOWING  THE   ROAD  205 

denied  the  attainment  of  "  perfection "  in  his  own 
case  (verses  I2f.).  And  yet  here  he  includes  himself 
among  the  "perfect"  in  "let  us  be  thus  minded." 
Evidently  it  is  not  a  matter  of  courtesy  simply,  but 
of  sincerity.  It  does  "  seem  strange  "  (Rainy,  in  loco). 
Besides,  the  very  form  of  the  expression  "  as  many 
as  are  perfect"  implies  that  some  are  perfect  and 
some  are  not.  But  the  explanation  is  not  far  to  seek 
and  one  in  harmony  with  Paul's  disclaimer  of  abso- 
lute perfection  above.  The  Greek  word  for  "  perfect " 
is  here  used  in  the  sense  of  relative  perfection,  as 
is  common  in  the  New  Testament,  contrasting  the 
mature  Christians  with  the  babes  in  Christ  who  lack 
the  experience  and  development  which  others  have 
obtained.  By  this  word  "  grown  men  "  in  Christ  are 
described  as  in  I  Corinthians  14 :  20  where  "  chil- 
dren "  and  "  men  "  are  contrasted  *  by  the  word  "  per- 
fect" for  "  men."  In  Ephesians  4:  13  we  have  the 
phrase  "  unto  a  full-grown  man "  ^  with  the  same 
word  for  "  perfect."  So  in  Hebrews  5:13  the  writer 
contrasts  "  babes  "  ^  in  Christ  and  "  full-grown  men  "  ^ 
who  can  stand  strong  meat.  Once  more  in  I  Corin- 
thians 13:  I  of.  Paul  uses  "the  perfect"  for  absolute 
perfection  and  illustrates  it  by  the  other  sense  of 
relative  perfection,  the  contrast  between  child  and 
man.  The  case  is  made  out  therefore  and  the  idiom 
is  in  accord  with  Paul's  other  descriptions  of  the 

*  7:aidia — riXstoi.  ^  si?  av8pa  riXetov. 


206  PAUL'S  JOY  IN   CHRIST 

relatively  advanced  Christians,  "  the  spiritual "  (Gal. 
6  :  i),  "  the  strong  "  (Rom.  15:1).  The  absolute  use 
of  perfect  is  further  seen  in  Matthew  5  :  48 ;  James 
I  :  4 ;  3  :  2.  It  is  the  desire  of  Paul  to  present  every 
man  "  perfect  in  Christ "  (Col.  i  :  28)  at  last.  It  is 
here  the  ideal  not  yet  realized  in  the  full  sense, 
though  there  is  a  sense  in  which  it  is  relatively  true 
of  all  those  who  have  been  initiated  into  the  mystery 
of  Christ  and  have  made  progress  in  the  knowledge  of 
Christ.  It  is  not  necessary  to  insist  that  Paul  is 
using  the  word  "  perfect "  in  the  sense  of  the  "  mys- 
teries "  (cf.  Kennedy,  "  St.  Paul  and  the  Mystery- 
Religions  "),  though  it  is  quite  possible  that  his  use 
of  the  term  is  suggested  by  that  common  terminology. 
There  is  at  any  rate  a  touch  of  irony  in  Paul's  em- 
ployment of  "  perfect "  in  the  double  sense  (absolute 
in  verse  12,  relative  in  verse  15).  Those,  like  himself, 
who  claim  relative  perfection,  he  exhorts  to  think ' 
"  this."  What  is  "  this  "  or  '•  thus  minded  "  ?  It  is 
what  he  has  just  been  saying  in  the  preceding  verses, 
viz. :  that  they  have  not  yet  attained  to  absolute  per- 
fection. The  "  full-grown  men "  in  Christ  are  the 
very  ones  who  are  tempted  to  think  that  they  have 
reached  the  goal  of  absolute  perfection.  There  wi  re 
probably  some  of  them  in  Philippi  who  needed  this 
delicate  hint  not  to  be  satisfied  with  their  present 
attainments  in  grace  and  goodness,  who  need  the 
lesson  of  humility  that  Paul  has  enforced  by  the 
'  <ppovu>[iev.     Hortatory  subjunctive.     Linear  action. 


FOLLOWING   THE   ROAD  207 

example  of  Christ  and  now  by  Paul's  own  attitude 
of  mind.  Spiritual  pride  is  very  subtle  and  creeps 
into  the  hearts  of  the  most  gifted  saints  if  they  are 
not  on  the  watch.  Paul  does  not  wish  his  readers  to 
think  that  they  have  already  reached  the  goal  be- 
cause in  one  sense  they  belong  to  the  ranks  of  the 
mature.  It  is  almost  a  pity  that  we  have  "  perfect " 
as  the  translation  in  verse  15.  Cf.  I  Corinthians 
14  :  20  where  it  is  "  men." 

"  And  if  in  anything  ye  are  otherwise  minded," ' 
Paul  goes  on.  He  assumes  that  the  Philippians  will 
agree  with  him  in  his  general  statement  on  the  sub- 
ject of  Christian  perfection.  He  adds,  however,  a 
possible  detail  as  exception.  If  you  think  otherwise 
on  any  particular  point  that  Paul  has  not  mentioned 
and  so  claim  absolute  perfection  on  that,  then  what  ? 
Well,  then,  •'  this  also  shall  God  reveal  unto  you."  ^ 
If  they  have  followed  Paul  thus  far,  there  is  hope  for 
the  rest  of  the  way,  even  if  it  takes  time.  Paul  trusts 
God  to  "  unveil "  the  particular  problem,  untie  that 
knot,  unravel  that  mystery  as  He  has  done  the  rest. 
Paul  has  patience  with  the  merely  inept  and  surely 
we  need  it.  Sanity  on  the  subject  of  Christian  per- 
fection is  sorely  needed  when  we  have  one  extreme 
of  antinomian  license  and  the  other  of  professional 
perfectionism.     A  story  is  told  by  Spurgeon  that  one 

*  izai  el'  T£  iripiDi;  {ppnvslre. 

^  /zai  TouTo  6  dedi  6[i1v  aTzokaXuipsi.  It  could  be  rendered 
"  even  this." 


208  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

Sunday  morning  a  crank  stepped  into  his  study  with 
the  remark  that  the  Lord  had  revealed  to  him  that 
he  was  to  preach  for  Spurgeon  that  morning.  Quick 
as  a  flash  Spurgeon  rephed  that  he  had  just  received  a 
later  revelation  to  show  him  the  door,  which  he  did. 
The  point  of  this  often  misunderstood  verse  is, 
therefore,  that  we  must  get  and  keep  the  right  stand- 
point. We  must  read  the  sign-board  aright  and  take 
the  right  turn  of  the  road.  We  must  not  lose  our 
way  in  a  bog  of  self-satisfaction  and  smug  compla- 
cency or  of  cold  indifference.  We  must  keep  up  the 
struggle.  We  may  stick  a  peg  here  and  there  as  we 
go  provided  we  do  not  stop  with  the  peg.  We  must 
go  on.     That  is  the  main  thing. 

2.     Keeping  On  in  the  Path  (verse  i6). 

Here  we  have  an  echo  of  "one  thing  I  do  "  in 
verse  14.  Paul  is  not  impatient  of  minor  differences 
of  opinion  (verse  15)  which  are  more  or  less  inevitable 
in  men,  provided  the  Philippians  will  stick  to  the  main 
road  and  go  ahead.  "  Only,  whereunto  we  have  at- 
tained let  us  keep  on  in  the  same  path."  ^  The  word 
for  "only "2  is  common  in  introducing  a  parenthesis 
(Kennedy)  or  at  the  end  of  an  argument  to  single  out 
the  main  point.^  "  Just  one  thing  more."  In  opposing 
the  claim  of  absolute  perfection  Paul  wishes  no  mis- 

'  TtXijv  £('9  o  ifOdfTafiev,  rib  aurw  (TTot^elv, 

'  7:?.r/v.      Probably  from  7t)Jov  more. 

'  Cf.  Robertson,  "  Grammar,"  p.  1 187. 


FOLLOWING  THE  ROAD  209 

understanding.  They  must  not  give  up  the  struggle 
in  despair  any  more  than  they  must  stop  because  they 
think  that  they  have  aheady  reached  the  end  in  view. 
Either  were  mockery.  Weizsacker  hits  it  off  cor- 
rectly :  "  Only  one  thing.  So  far  as  we  have  come, 
keep  the  path."  The  translation  "  by  the  same  rule  " 
misses  the  point.  We  have  come  thus  far  on  the 
way  to  the  goal  which  is  still  ahead.  What  are  we 
to  do  ?  There  is  but  one  thing  to  do,  just  go  right 
on  in  the  same  path  by  which  we  have  come  *  thus 
far.  The  word  for  "  walk  "  ^  means  to  "  walk  in  file," 
to  "  keep  the  step."  This  is  hard  to  do.  It  is  climb- 
ing a  sandy  mountain  often.  We  slip  back  almost  as 
much  as  we  go  on  and  up.  The  notion  of  row  ^  or 
alphabet  appears  in  Galatians  4 :  3,  9.  The  tramp, 
tramp  of  the  soldier  is  fine  for  a  while,  but  in  time  one 
is  weary  and  it  is  hard  not  to  lag  behind.     One  comes 


^  i<pdd(Tatisv  is  a  dramatic  aorist  for  present  attainment.  Cf. 
Robertson,  "  Grammar,"  pp.  841-843.  This  verb  originally 
meant  to  arrive  "  before  "  some  one  else  (as  in  i  Tliess. 
4:  15),  but  here  it  has  lost  all  idea  of  anticipation  and  means 
simply  "come"  as  in  2  Cor.  10:  14.  Cf.  Robertson, 
**  Grammar,"  p.  551. 

^  aror/stv.  For  infinitive  as  imperative  see  Robertson, 
*'  Grammar,"  pp.  943  f.  Cf.  y^aipeiv  in  James  i  :  I  and  in 
the  papyri.  Kennedy  notes  that  "  to  work  "  in  English  may 
be  originally  dative  case,  then  exclamatory  imperative,  and 
then  infinitive  like  the  Greek  absolute  infinitive  here. 

^  Cf.  auvaror/^el  in  Gal.  4:  25.  The  verb  o-TOf;^^:^  occurs 
in  Syll.  325*^  (ii.  b.  c.)  in  sense  of  walking  in  the  steps  of 
one's  fathers  (Moulton  &  Milligan,  "  Lexical  Notes  from  the 
Papyri,"  Expositor,  June,  191 1). 


2IO  PAUL'S  JOY  IN  CHRIST 

to  the  jog-trot  of  the  Christian  hfe.  The  dull  mon- 
otony of  religious  routine  palls  on  one.  But  there 
is  but  one  thing  to  do  and  that  is  to  keep  on  going ' 
in  the  same  path.^  This  is  the  way  the  dog  went  to 
Dover,  leg  over  leg,  step  by  step.  "  It's  dogging  as 
does  it."  There  is  monotony  in  work,  the  tedium 
of  household  cares,  the  grind  of  church  services,  the 
petty  details  of  pastoral  life,  the  minutiae  of  scholar- 
ship and  all  forms  of  Bible  study,  the  treadmill  of 
spiritual  exercises  (prayer,  reading  the  Scriptures, 
singing,  church  attendance,  work  for  Christ),  the 
humdrum  of  things  like  three  meals  a  day  and 
going  to  bed  every  night — these  things  tend  to  pall 
on  the  sensitive  spirit.  But  we  shall  die  if  we  do  not 
eat,  sleep,  walk,  work,  breathe.  We  shall  die  with- 
out the  common  details  in  the  spiritual  life.  The 
lesson  for  our  time  is  precisely  this,  to  keep  at  it.  I 
love  to  hear  a  boy  whistle  at  his  work  or  play.  He 
loves  then  to  keep  at  it.  Thus  we  can  put  new  spirit 
into  the  same  old  tasks,  the  same  old  church,  the 
same  old  preacher.  Victory  lies  along  the  path  by 
which  we  have  come.  We  must  not  merely  "  think  " 
right  (verse  1 5).  We  must  also  keep  up  the  practice 
and  keep  on  in  the  same  path  that  leads  to  the  goal. 
Let  us  not  forget  that.  Fidgetiness  is  not  spiritual 
activity.  We  are  not  to  be  restless  spiritual "  hobos," 
always  on  the  jump  and  never  getting  on.     It  is  the 

'  ffTot^elv  is  linear  action  (pres.  inf.). 
'  Tyi  auTw  locative  case. 


FOLLOWING  THE   ROAD  211 

steady  tread  in  the  right  path  with  the  eye  fixed  on 
Christ  that  tells  the  story  of  final  achievement. 

3.    Keeping  the  Eye  On  the  Guide  (verse  17). 

Paul  had  urged  that  they  keep  step  *  in  the  Chris- 
tian walk.  He  carries  that  idea  further  in  his  charge  : 
••  Brethren,  be  ye  imitators  together  of  me."  ^  Light- 
foot  puts  it  better  thus :  "  Vie  with  each  other  in  im- 
itating me."  In  i  Corinthians  n  :  i  Paul  says :  "  Be 
ye  imitators  of  me,  even  as  I  also  am  of  Christ." 
That  is  precisely  the  point.  "  Paul  is  compelled  to 
make  his  own  example  a  norm  of  the  new  life " 
(Kennedy).  Paul  knows  wherein  he  imitates  Christ 
who  is  the  real  standard  of  orthodoxy  and  ortho- 
praxy (cf.  2  John  9).  But  Jesus  is  no  longer  visible 
in  the  flesh  and  people  need  an  objective  standard, 
a  secondary  standard.  We  copy  the  copy  of  the 
original  in  most  cases.  The  preacher  cannot  escape 
this  side  of  his  responsibility  if  he  would.  He  must 
show  the  way  by  his  walk  as  well  as  by  his  talk. 
Paul  made  his  own  living  in  Thessalonica  "  to  make 
ourselves  an  ensample  ^  unto  you,  that  ye  should  im- 
itate us  "  (2  Thess.  3  : 9).  He  did  it  for  that  purpose. 
Besides,  says  Paul,  ye  "  yourselves  know  how  ye 
ought  to  imitate  us  "  (2  Thess.  3  :  7).  Paul  begs  the 
Corinthians  to  imitate  him  (i  Cor.  4:  16).  The 
pastor  must  lead  and  the  people  are  to  follow.     Paul 

*  ffTOt}(£Tv. 

^  ffuvfitfiTjzai  (100  yivsade,  adeXfoi.  The  word  fiifxvjTTJis  is 
our  mimic.  ^  tOtiov, 


212  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

wishes  not  merely  sporadic  following,  but  **  a  whole 
company  "  of  imitators  *  (Ellicott).  There  is  no  self- 
conceit  in  Paul's  demand  that  they  all  follow  him. 
It  is  like  the  Captain  who  says :  "  Follow  me." 
Imitation  plays  a  large  part  in  all  life.  Most  that 
the  child  learns  at  home  is  unconscious  imitation. 
The  preacher  is  an  object  lesson  to  the  church.  Like 
priest  like  people.  Children  copy  the  preacher  and 
the  church  members  copy  his  shortcomings  and  often 
criticize  his  virtues. 

"  And  mark  them  that  so  walk."  ^  Paul  is  not  the 
only  one  who  follows  Christ.  There  were  many  in 
Philippi  who  did  so.  Keep  your  eye  on  those  who 
keep  to  the  same  path  by  which  you  have  come. 
The  word  here  for"  mark  "^  is  sometimes  used  for 
watching  and  avoiding  as  in  Romans  16:17:  "  Mark 
them  that  are  causing  the  divisions  and  occasions  of 
stumbling,  contrary  to  the  doctrine  which  ye  learned ; 
and  turn  away  from  them."  But  it  may  also  be  used 
for  keeping  the  eye  on  good  things  as  in  2  Corin- 
thians 4:  18  where  it  is  employed  for  the  spiritual  vision 
of  the  unseen  as  the  guide  of  life.  It  is  dangerous  to 
take  the  eye  off  of  the  guide  in  perilous  mountain 
climbing  or  in  tangled  jungles.  Once  lost,  one  is 
helpless.     Keep  your  eye  on  the  goal  if  you  can  see 

^  (ruv/xip.rjTa{.  Co-imitores.  Paul  is  fond  of  the  preposition 
auv — in  composition.  Cf.  aovKukJrai  in  Eph.  2  :  19.  Plato 
{J'olit.,  p.  274D)  has  auiiixiiit'iaOai. 

"^  kaX  a/COTZslTe  rou?  oStw?  irSpnzarouvTa'i.  Cf.  ffA'oTzd^ 
goal.  ^  ff/io-elrs.     Cf.  "  Mark  Twain." 


FOLLOWING  THE  ROAD  213 

it.  If  not,  keep  your  eye  on  one  who  knows  the  way 
to  the  goal  and  who  is  going  there.  This  is  the  only 
way  to  walk  straight.  Signs  are  useless  if  erased  or 
doubtful.  Many  an  accident  is  due  to  misreading  of 
the  signals  by  the  engineer.  It  is  still  worse  to  fol- 
low false  signs.  Lights  are  used  by  wreckers  to  lure 
vessels  on  the  breakers,  false  hghts  that  point  the 
v/ay  to  death. 

"  Even  as  ye  have  us  for  an  ensample." '  Paul 
changes  from  "  me  "  to  "  us  "  on  purpose.  Timothy 
and  Epaphroditus  were  two  certainly  that  we  can 
name  who  besides  Paul  were  ensamples  to  the  Philip- 
pians.  The  word  for  "  ensample  "  ^  was  originally 
the  impression  left  by  a  blow,  the  mark  of  the  blow 
as  in  John  20 :  25  "  the  print  of  the  nails."  Then  it 
was  used  of  the  thing  that  caused  the  mark  as  a  type 
or  mould  or  pattern  (cf.  our  use  of  type  in  printing). 
Paul  is  fond  of  this  word  (cf.  Rom.  5  :  14;  6:  17;  i  Cor. 
10:  6,  II  ;  I  Thess.  i  :  7).  There  is  the  mould  of 
doctrine  (Rom.  6:  17)  and  the  mould  of  life  as  here. 
It  is  sad  when  a  church  is  afraid  to  follow  the 
preacher,  still  sadder  when  the  church  ought  to  re- 
fuse to  follow  his  bad  example,  when  he  does  not 
follow  Christ.  Blind  guide  he  is  then  and  those  that 
follow  him  will  fall  with  him  into  the  pit. 

4.     Missing  the  Path  (verses  i8f.). 

"  For  many  walk  "  evilly,^  Paul  means,  though  he 

'  /zaOu)^  ejsre  totzov  vjfxai;.      ^  runov.     From  xuTzxm  strike. 
^Tzokloi  yap  iteptnarouaiv.     Vg.  ambulant. 


214  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

does  not  use  the  word.  One  is  reminded  of  Psalm  i. 
Perhaps  Paul  is  even  thinking  of  walking  hypo- 
critically, for  he  is  hardly  referring  to  the  heathen. 
He  either  has  in  mind  the  Judaizers,  the  •'  dogs  "  of 
verse  2,  or  lackadaisical  Christians,  nominal  church 
members,  who  bring  reproach  on  Christ  by  their 
conduct,  antinomian  hbertines,  incipient  Gnostics, 
immoral  men  with  Epicurean  philosophy.  Something 
can  be  said  for  both  of  these  views,  though  probably 
the  latter  suits  the  context  more  exactly.  Action 
and  reaction  follow  each  other.  The  lax  age  of 
Charles  the  Second  followed  the  age  of  the  Puritans 
under  Cromwell.  Perhaps  both  extremes  were  repre- 
sented in  the  church  of  Philippi.  At  any  rate  they 
had  been  warned  by  Paul  of  one  of  these  classes, 
"  of  whom  I  told  you  often."  *  Paul  had  done  his 
duty  to  them  either  when  with  them  or  in  letters 
which  we  do  not  now  possess  (cf.  3  :  i).  "  And  now 
tell  you  even  weeping."  ^  Once  more  Paul  repeats 
his  warning  and  it  brings  tears  to  his  eyes  to  have  to 
use  such  plain  language  about  professed  followers  of 
Christ.  Paul  was  a  man  of  great  heart  and  his  emo- 
tional nature  is  often  profoundly  stirred.  It  was  so 
once  when  he  had  to  write  with  severity  to  the  Cor- 
inthians (2  Cor.  2  : 4).  He  admonished  the  Ephesians 
with  tears  many  times  (Acts  20 :  31).  It  is  a  serious 
situation  in  Philippi  and  it  stirs  Paul's  heart  to  the 
bottom.     He  is  cut  to  the  quick  over  the  disgrace  in 

*  0S9  TtuXXakfi   ^ikeyov  Ufxiv.  '^  vuv  8k  Ra\  fcXaitov  Xiyu), 


FOLLOWING   THE   ROAD  215 

this  noble  church  to  the  name  of  Christ.  It  is  enough 
to  break  a  preacher's  heart  to  see  so  many  Chris- 
tians recreant  and  disloyal.  They  are  "  the  enemies 
of  the  cross  of  Christ." '  Both  the  Judaizers  (Gal. 
5:11;  6:i2f.)  and  the  antinomian  Gnostics  (Col. 
3 :  5  f. ;  cf.  2  Cor.  i  :5  f.)  were  hostile  to  the  cross  of 
Christ  as  were  the  Jews  and  Greeks  generally  (i  Cor. 
1:17  f.).  But  these  persons  took  it  as  a  personal  af- 
front and  made  themselves  personal  enemies  of  the 
cross  of  Christ  which  reflected  on  their  hves  of  self- 
indulgence.  Polycarp  (Phil.  7)  speaks  of  "  whoever 
does  not  confess  the  witness  of  the  cross."  Rainy 
(Phil.,  p.  286)  speaks  of  hangers-on  who  love  "  the 
suburban  life  of  Zion,"  but  who  wish  none  of  the 
limitations  and  responsibilities  of  the  yoke  of  service. 
But  Paul  is  pitiless  in  his  picture  of  these  men 
"  whose  end  is  destruction."  ^  End  with  them  is 
both  consummation  and  culmination.  It  is  more 
than  mere  termination  (cf.  Rom.  6:  21;  2  Cor. 
II  ;  15).  The  word  for  destruction  does  not  neces- 
sarily mean  annihilation.  It  is  rather  a  state  of 
moral  ruin.  It  is  used  of  the  lost  though  physically 
alive  (cf.  Luke  19:  10).     "  Whose  god  is  the  belly,"  ^ 

^  Tou^  i)(dpohg  Tou  araopou  too  ^ptaTou.  The  accusative 
here  is  in  apposition  to  the  relative  089  (cf.  I  John  2  :  25) 
unless  Uyu)  be  taken  as  "  call  "  (Kennedy)  when  it  is  predi- 
cate accus.     Cf.  Robertson,  "  Grammar,"  pp.  416,  480. 

^  u>v  TO  riXo<i  diTz(t)Xeia.  Paul  gives  ffcDTTjpia  as  the  end  of 
the  redeemed  and  dnmXeta  of  the  lost  (l  Cor.  1:18;  2  Cor. 
2  :  1^5  f.). 

^  a>v  6  dedi  ij  kodia,     Vg.  quorum  Deus  Center  est. 


2l6  PAUL'S  JOY  IN   CHRIST 

Paul  adds.  In  Romans  i6  :  i8  we  have  :  "  For  they 
that  are  such  serve  not  our  Lord  Christ,  but 
their  own  belly." '  The  comic  poet  Eupolis  de- 
scribes one  as  "  a  devotee  of  the  belly,"  ^  who 
makes  a  god  of  his  belly.  The  glutton  or  gour- 
mand is  on  the  road  to  this  low  estate.  Cicero  tells 
it  on  himself  that  once  at  a  feast  he  took  an  emetic 
that  he  might  enjoy  more  of  the  dinner.  Perhaps 
more  people  make  a  god  of  their  stomachs  than  will 
admit  it.  We  have  a  proverb  to  the  effect  that  we 
dig  our  graves  with  our  teeth.  Paul  says  :  "  The 
Kingdom  of  God  is  not  eating  and  drinking  "  (Rom. 
14:  17),  a  truism  about  sticklers  for  certain  kinds  of 
food,  but  equally  true  in  this  context.  The  word  for 
belly  is  used  for  all  sorts  of  sensual  indulgence  and 
applies  to  drink  and  immorality  also  (wine  and 
women).  Once  more  Paul  says,  "  whose  glory  is  in 
their  shame."  ^  These  moral  perverts  turn  liberty 
into  license.  They  throw  moral  pride  to  the  winds 
and  became  unmoral  degenerates.  They  revel  in 
the  mire  and  mud  like  the  hog,  and  rejoice  in  their 
debasement.  The  life  of  the  underworld  is  a  terrible 
reality  in  all  our  large  cities  to-day,  but  Paul  pictures 
some  persons  in  the  church  at  Philippi  as  in  the 
grip  of  the  same  form  of  vice,  which  has   mastered 

*  Seneca  has  :   ^/ius  abdomini  servit. 

*  uotkiodaiixwv.     In  his  hdXaAreg  Xenophon   (Mem.  I  :  6, 
8,  etc.)  has  douXeuetv  yatrrpi.      Cf.  2  Pet.  2:13. 

*  /foi   i)   Sd^a    ^v   tj]    alff^ovrj    aurajv.      Cf.    Prov.  26:11; 
Sirach  4  :  21.     It  was  apparently  a  current  proverb. 


FOLLOWING  THE  ROAD  217 

them  and  bound  them  hand  and  foot,  slaves  of 
sin.  The  last  word  that  Paul  has  about  these  spir- 
itual perverts  is  "  who  mind  earthly  things."  *  These 
are  just  the  opposite  of  Paul  in  his  passion  for  the 
upward  calling  (verse  14).  They  hear  no  call  to  fly 
like  the  eagle  in  the  cage,  but,  like  Bunyan's  man 
with  the  muckrake,  grovel  in  the  dirt  and  glory  in 
the  drivel  and  dust  of  earth.  They  have  their  minds 
set  on  things  of  time  and  sense  and  on  the  lowest 
plane  of  things  here  below.  What  do  modern  peo- 
ple care  most  about  ?  Face  the  facts.  Statistics 
tell  some  things  rightly.  On  any  Sunday  in  our 
modern  cities  the  moving  picture-shows  will  be 
crowded  when  the  churches  are  thinly  attended.  On 
a  pretty  Sunday  in  the  summer  the  baseball  park 
will  be  full.  The  horse  races  where  still  allowed  have 
no  lack  of  crowds.  People  complain  of  hard  times, 
but  have  plenty  of  money  for  dress  and  for  food  and 
for  travel.  The  public  talk  is  much  more  about  these 
things  than  about  the  Kingdom  of  God  and  righteous- 
ness upon  earth.  But  there  are  "  forward-looking 
men,"  to  use  President  Woodrow  Wilson's  striking 
phrase,  who  do  look  up  instead  of  down,  onward  in- 
stead of  backward,  inward  instead  of  merely  outward. 

'  oi  rd  iniyeta  <ppovouvr£<s.  The  use  of  the  nominative 
here  after  go's  and  u>v  is  not  unknown.  In  fact  such  an  inde- 
pendent nominative  in  apposition  is  a  rather  common  anaco- 
luthon.  Cf.  ol  kariffOovre?  in  Mark  1 2  :  40.  So  also  Mark 
7:19;  Acts  10:37;  Rev.  1:5;  7:4;  20:2.  Cf. 
Robertson,  "  Grammar,"  pp.  414  f. 


2l8  PAUL'S  JOY  IN  CHRIST 

5.    A  Colony  of  Heaven  (verse  ao^). 

"  For  our  citizenship  is  in  heaven."  *  This  Paul 
says  in  contrast  with  those  who  "  mind  earthly 
things  "  (verse  19).  The  emphatic  word  is  "  our  "  in 
opposition  to  the  mundane  and  grovelhng  spirit  of 
the  recreant  Christians  who  make  a  god  of  the  belly. 
In  I  :  27  Paul  had  urged  the  duty  of  worthy  conduct 
as  citizens.^  The  Vulgate  here  has  convcrsatio 
(A.  V.  conversation)  which  properly  rendered  one 
aspect  of  the  Greek  word'  as  manner  of  life.  Our 
modern  use  of  conversation  for  talk  is  simply  one 
phase  (possibly  the  main  one  in  some  cases)  of  con- 
duct. But  it  probably  here  means  the  common- 
wealth or  state  as  in  2  Mace.  12:7;  Philo,  de  Jos.  ii. 
p.  5 1  M  and  in  the  inscriptions.  The  Jews  therefore 
had  adopted  this  word  from  the  Greeks  a  good  while 
before  Paul  wrote  (Kennedy).^  Jesus  told  Pilate  that 
His  kingdom  was  not  of  this  world  (John  1 8 :  36).  The 
heavenly  Jerusalem  (or  that  which  is  above)  appears 
in  Galatians  4 :  26  and  Mt.  Zion  is  contrasted  with 
Mt.  Sinai  in  Hebrews  12  :  20  ff.  The  New  Jerusalem 
is  heaven  in  Revelation  21.  The  point  with  Paul 
here  is  that  we  are  now  citizens  of  heaven  even  while 

^  rjixCo'^  yap  tw  TzoXirtoiia  iv  oopavolg  undpy^si.  The  Vul- 
gate has  autem,  but  enim  is  more  exact  for  yap. 

^  a^iU)<i   TZoXtTEUEffffe. 

*  noXirsu/ia.  Used  practically  in  same  sense  as  rroXiTeca  by 
Aristotle.      Cf.  r.nXizeia  in  Acts  22  :  28. 

*  Cf.  Hicks,  "  Political  Terms  in  the  New  Testament " 
(^Classical  Review,  i.,  i,  pp.  6-7). 


FOLLOWING  THE  ROAD  219 

living  on  earth.  We  are  fellow-citizens "  with  the 
saints  and  the  household  of  God  (Eph.  2  :  19).  Our 
Hfe  is  hid  with  Christ  in  God  (Col.  3 :  3).  We  like 
the  patriarchs  look  for  a  city  which  hath  founda- 
tions whose  builder  and  maker  is  God  (Heb.  Ii  :  10), 
a  better  country,  that  is  an  heavenly  (11  :  16),  being 
"  strangers  and  pilgrims  on  the  earth  "  (11  :  13).  In 
other  words,  our  real  citizenship  is  in  the  common- 
wealth of  heaven,  the  Kingdom  of  God.  We  are  a 
colony  of  heaven  here  on  earth  (Moffatt),  a  pattern 
of  the  heavenly  for  earthly  citizens.  Philippi  was 
itself  a  colony  of  Rome  and  would  understand  per- 
fectly^ this  local  touch  in  Paul's  figure.  Paul  him- 
self was  proud  of  his  Roman  citizenship  and  had 
found  it  an  advantage  in  Philippi  (Acts  16 :  37-39) 
and  in  Jerusalem  (Acts  21  and  22).  Paul  is  not 
speaking  of  an  impossible  Utopia  or  a  vague  ideal 
like  Plato's  Republic  or  even  as  impractical  a  thing 
as  Augustine's  City  of  God.  Paul  means  that  Chris- 
tians must  live  now  on  earth  as  citizens  of  the 
heavenly  commonwealth,  not  merely  that  we  shall  be 
heavenly  citizens  after  death.  The  Christian  com- 
monwealth is  a  present  reality  in  the  world.^  It 
partly  fulfills  the  prayer  which  Jesus  taught  the  dis- 

'  ffuvTroXtrat. 

*  They  knew  what  the  jus  Italicum  meant.  Cf.  Mar- 
quardt,  "  Romische  Staatsverwaltung,"  Bd.  I,  pp.  363  fF. 

^  In  the  Epistle  to  Diognetus  we  read  of  Christians  this  : 
liti  yrj^  dcarpc^ouffiv  dkX'  iv  obpavm  TtoXtreuoi/rac.  Cf.  Plato 
"  Republic,"  592. 


220  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

ciples  to  pray  :  "  Thy  Kingdom  come.  Thy  will  be 
done,  as  in  heaven,  so  on  earth  "  (Matt.  6  :  lo).  The 
full  consummation  is  to  come  at  the  end,  but  Chris- 
tianity is  the  most  powerful  factor  in  the  life  that  now 
is.  We  are  in  the  world,  but  not  of  its  spirit.  We 
live  under  the  principles,  ideals,  and  laws  of  heaven. 
We  must  apply  them  to  the  life  in  this  world.  In  a 
word  we  are  a  patch  of  heaven  on  earth  to  help  make 
earth  like  heaven.  The  roar  of  the  guns  in  the 
World's  Great  War  only  accentuates  the  words  of 
Paul.  We  must  drive  war  out  of  this  world  and 
make  men  turn  their  swords  into  ploughshares.  The 
war  on  war  is  long,  but  the  Kingdom  of  God  is 
coming,  always  coming  in  power,  and  is  here  in  the 
hearts  of  those  who  feel  themselves  more  citizens  of 
heaven  than  of  earth.  The  true  patriotism  is  the 
hunger  for  and  loyalty  to  the  real  Fatherland,  for 
heaven  is  our  home. 

6.     Looking  for  the  King  (verse  20^). 

Meanwhile  we  all  know  that  earth  is  not  yet 
heaven.  There  are  colonies  of  heaven  scattered  here 
and  there  over  the  world.  These  are  the  joy  and 
hope  of  men.  The  attitude  of  these  colonies  of 
heaven  is  one  of  expectation.  At  best  earth  still  has 
its  sorrows.  Our  eyes  turn  heavenward  "  whence 
also  we  wait  for  a  Saviour,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ." ' 

'  ic  00  ka\  amri^pa  anziz8v/^6iit0a,  hbpinv  ^Irjtrouv  Xptardv. 
Here  i^  00  is  probably  adverbial  and  refers  to  oupavoii. 


FOLLOWING  THE  ROAD  221 

The  Lord  Jesus  Christ  (note  all  three  words)  is  the 
King  in  the  heavenly  commonwealth  or  kingdom. 
He  is  coming  back  to  complete  His  glorious  work. 
Meanwhile  we  wait  for  Him  "  as  Saviour."  '  He  is 
needed  as  Saviour  and  He  will  come.  He  will  com- 
plete the  work  of  salvation  and  rescue  men  from  suf- 
ferings and  infirmities  of  the  flesh  (Rom.  8 :  iQff. ; 
2  Cor.  5  : 4).  The  inscriptions  often  speak  of  the 
Roman  Emperor  as  God  and  Saviour  in  fulsome 
flattery.  But  Paul's  word  "  wait  for  "  or  "  tarry  for  "  ^ 
reveals  the  note  of  eager  expectancy  as  if  a  wife  steps 
out  of  the  door  in  the  evening  and  looks  away  down 
the  lane  for  the  husband  who  is  late  in  coming.  The 
King  is  coming.  The  tiptoe  of  anticipation  is  like 
that  of  the  crowds  at  Delhi  during  the  Durbar  who 
waited  for  the  appearance  of  their  king  from  England. 
Christians  have  Christ's  own  promise  that  He  will 
come  back.  As  a  colony  of  heaven  they  have  a 
right  to  look  for  Him.  This  blessed  hope  exerted  a 
powerful  influence  for  holy  living  and  Christian 
activity  among  the  early  Christians.  Some  of  them 
misunderstood  the  promise  as  definitely  made  for 
their  own  time.  The  centuries  have  dimmed  for 
many  the  brightness  of  this  star  of  hope,  but  without 

^  Predicate  accusative.  Cf.  Robertson,  "  Grammar,"  p. 
480.  The  word  aiur-qp  is  common  in  2  Peter  and  the  Pas- 
toral Epistles  for  God. 

^  d7:£/zdex6fj.£da  (common  with  Paul  as  in  Gal.  5:5; 
I  Thess.  I  :  10;  Rom.  8  :  19,  23,  25.  Cf.  Heb.  9  :  28  j 
I  Pet.  3  :  20).     Cf.  ar^oiiapabonia  in  Phil.  I  :  20. 


222  PAUL'S  JOY  IN  CHRIST 

reason,  for  a  day  with  the  Lord  is  as  a  thousand  years 
and  a  thousand  years  as  one  day  (2  Pet.  3 :  8).  The 
promise  of  the  first  coming  of  the  Messiah  seemed 
long  in  reahzation,  but  Christ  did  come  in  the  fullness 
of  time.  Christ's  own  word  is  that  we  be  ready : 
"Watch"  (Matt.  25:13).  This  is  the  attitude  of 
which  Paul  speaks.  We  are  still  watching  and  wait- 
ing for  the  King. 

7.    The  Body  of  Glory  (verse  21). 

The  King  will  come  and  will  finish  His  work.  He 
"  will  fashion  anew  the  body  of  our  humiliation,  that 
it  may  be  conformed  to  the  body  of  his  glory."' 
Christ  will  '•  change  the  fashion  "  (cf.  Rom.  1 2 :  2 ; 
I  Cor.  4:6;  2  Cor.  11  :  13-15)  of  our  body  from 
corruption  to  incorruption  (i  Cor.  15:44,  51).  We 
shall  be  clothed  upon  (2  Cor.  5  :  4)  with  a  spiritual 
body  connected  with  this  body  which  belongs  to  our 
state  of  humiliation  (not  "  vile  body  ")  as  seed-corn 
with  harvest  and  yet  not  this  same  body  of  flesh  and 
blood  which  cannot  enter  the  Kingdom  of  God 
(i  Cor.  15:50).  It  is  all  a  mystery,  but  modern 
science  by  no  means  discredits  the  kind  of  a  resurrec- 
tion of  the  body  which  Paul  pictures  here  and  in 
I  Corinthians  15.  Paul  does  not  consider  the  body 
in  which  our  spirit  dwells  as  itself  evil  and  only  vile 
as  the  Gnostics  held.     On  the  contrary  Paul  urged 

^  09  (j.£Taff^-qfiaTi(T£i  to  (rcbjia  tt^^  Tanecvwffeu}^  ijfxwv 
auti[iop<puv  T<^  atuixart  t^9  do^rj^  auTuu.  Vg,  has  corpus  hu- 
militatis. 


FOLLOWING  THE  ROAD  223 

the  dignity  of  the  body  as  the  abode  of  the  redeemed 
soul  (i  Cor.  6:  12-20)  and  the  temple  of  God  (i  Cor. 
3:  16).  Hence  Paul  urged  that  we  must  glorify  God 
in  the  body  (i  Cor.  6:  20).  But  though  our  bodies 
are  subject  to  infirmity,  weakness,  disease  and  death, 
yet  they  have  a  glorious  destiny  as  well  as  a  high 
honour  now.  This  body  of  our  humiliation  is  to  be 
"  conformed  "  '  to  the  body  of  Christ's  glory.  Our 
renewed  (refashioned)  body  will  be  like  in  essential 
form  that  of  Jesus.  We  shall  be  made  fit  for  the 
family  of  God  in  heaven  (cf.  Rom.  8 :  29  f.).  We 
shall  have  on  the  wedding  garment  of  glory.  We 
shall  have  a  spiritual  body  suitable  for  the  new 
environment  in  heaven.  Peter,  James,  and  John  saw 
the  glory  of  Jesus  on  the  majestic  mount  of  trans- 
figuration. The  process  of  transformation  of  our 
spirits  has  already  begun  here  and  we  are  transformed 
from  glory  to  glory  (2  Cor.  3:18).  This  word 
"  glory  "  was  used  for  the  Shekinah.  Jesus  is  the 
Glory  (J as.  2  :  i)  and  we  shall  be  like  Him  for  we 
shall  see  Him  as  He  is  (i  John  3:2).  If  one  hesi- 
tates at  the  stupendous  claim  that  Paul  makes 
about  the  body  he  must  recall  the  power  at  Christ's 
disposal,  "  according  to  the  working  whereby  he  is 
able  even  to  subject  all  things  into  himself,"  ^  accord- 

*  Predicate  accusative.  Cf.  Robertson,  "  Grammar,"  p. 
480.      Cf.  ffunfiopcpov  here  and  iieraa^rjiiaTiffsi. 

^  Rara  tyjv  kvipysiav  too  duvaadat  aurov  kal  uizord^at  auTm 
rdi  -KavTa, 


224  PAUL'S  JOY  IN  CHRIST 

ing  to  "  the  energy  of  his  power."  He  not  merely 
possesses  inherent  (latent)  power,  but  He  exercises  * 
this  dynamic  energy  (Col.  1:29;  7:12;  2  Thess. 
2:9)  as  Creator  and  Preserver  of  the  Universe  (Col. 
i:i6f.).  The  glorious  destiny  of  all  things  is  to 
come  fully  under  the  sway  of  Christ's  will.  The 
Crowning  Day  is  coming  when  God  will  sum  up  all 
things  in  Christ. 

^  *'  The  power  or  virtue  which  was  in  Christ  when  the 
woman  touched  the  hem  of  his  garment  (Mark  5  :  30  ;  Luke 
8  :  46)  was  dova/jLCi}.  In  the  healing  of  the  woman  it  became 
hipyeta "  (Vincent).  In  the  New  Testament  ivipyeca  is 
limited  to  superhuman  activity  (cf,  Robinson,  Eph.,  p.  242). 
Cf.  nep}  r^9  Ivspyeca?  Oeou  Jjo?  (OGIS  2624  iii.  a.  d.),  Moul- 
ton  &  Milligan,  "  Lexical  Notes  from  the  Papyri,"  Expositor, 
March,  1909. 


X 

THE  GARRISON  OF  PEACE 
(4 :  1-9) 

PEACE  is  one  of  the  greatest  of  blessings.  The 
peace  that  Christ  gives  is  better  than  any 
"  King's  Peace  "  of  the  feudal  times  :  "  Peace 
I  leave  with  you  ;  my  peace  I  give  unto  you  :  not  as 
the  world  giveth,  give  I  unto  you  "  (John  14 :  27). 
This  peace  of  Christ  cannot  be  taken  from  us  by  our 
environment  or  by  earthly  circumstance.  And  yet 
peace  in  itself  is  not  the  first  blessing.  "  But  the  wisdom 
that  is  from  above  is  first  pure,  then  peaceable  "  (J as. 
3:  17).  Righteousness,  not  peace,  exalteth  a  nation. 
It  IS  sometimes  necessary  to  fight  in  order  to  have 
peace,  a  peace  that  rests  on  the  triumph  of  right  over 
wrong.  The  devil  offered  Jesus  the  copartnership 
of  the  world  as  a  compromise  on  condition  that  Jesus 
recognize  the  devil's  sovereignty  and  power.  But 
Jesus  chose  war,  eternal  war,  the  path  to  the  Cross. 
Thus  He  won  the  right  and  the  power  to  bring  peace 
to  the  sinner.  Paul  exhorted  us  all  to  live  peaceably 
with  all  men,  if  possible,  as  far  as  it  depends  on  us 
(Rom.  12:18).  But  we  are  not  to  be  silent  on  great 
moral  issues  for  the  sake  of  a  complacent  peace  with 
the  powers  of  evil.     Christ  does  not  require  us  to 

225 


226  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

make  peace  at  any  price.  The  rather  He  challenges 
to  victorious  conquest  of  the  forces  of  evil.  But  we 
are  to  fight  even  evil  in  the  spirit  of  Christ  and  with 
the  weapons  of  righteousness  and  truth.  A  dead 
church  can  find  no  consolation  in  the  peace  of  God. 

1.     Standing  Fast  (verse  i). 

Paul  applies  his  message  about  the  heavenly  citi- 
zenship (3:17-21)  to  the  situation  in  Philippi. 
"  Wherefore,"  '  he  pleads,  because  you  are  citizens  of 
heaven,  have  courage  here  on  earth,  "  So  stand  fast 
in  the  Lord."  ^  "  So  "  stand  as  becomes  citizens  of 
heaven  and  as  Paul  has  exhorted  them.  Paul  has 
used  the  figures  of  running,  of  pursuing,'  of  walking,* 
and  now  he  adds  that  of  standing.  It  is  often  very 
hard  to  stand  still.  Attack  is  said  to  be  much  easier 
than  defense.  It  is  difficult  to  stand  still  and  be  shot 
at.  In  Ephesians  6*.  11,  13,  14  Paul  repeats  the  com- 
mand to  "  stand  "  as  soldiers  of  Christ.  When  oth- 
ers run  away,  it  is  hard  to  stand  one's  ground.  It  is 
not  easy  to  stand  against  the  flood-tide.  Paul  makes 
a  tender  plea  for  stabihty.     "  My  brethren  beloved 

^  to(TT£.  Common  as  inferential  particle  at  beginning  of 
sentence  with  no  effect  on  structure  of  the  sentence.  Cf. 
Robertson,  *•  Grammar,"  pp.  999  f. 

^  ouTOJ^  arrjfitxs.  iv  Rupko.  Paul  uses  iv  nupiu>  more  than 
forty  times  and  it  occurs  nowhere  else  in  the  New  Testament, 
save  in  Rev.  14:  13.  The  form  (rrrjA'eTs  belongs  to  the  col- 
loquial aotvTJ,  a  present  made  on  a  perfect  stem.  Cf  Phil. 
1  :  27.  ^  diiuUuj.  *  CTot^iu}. 


THE  GARRISON   OF  PEACE  227 

and  longed  for."  '  Here  we  see  "  a  hint  of  the  pain 
caused  by  his  separation  from  them"  (Vincent). 
"  My  joy  and  crown."  ^  They  are  now  his  joy  and 
they  will  be  his  crown  of  victory  in  the  day  of  Christ, 
showing  that  he  did  not  labour  in  vain  (Phil.  2  ;  16). 
The  word  here  used  for  crown  is  that  for  the  chaplet 
of  victory  in  the  games,  not  the  diadem  ^  worn  by 
kings.  Paul  spoke  of  the  Thessalonians  as  his  hope, 
joy,  crown  (i  Thess.  2 :  19).  He  repeats  his  affection- 
ate appeal  after  the  exhortation  to  steadfastness  by 
saying  once  more,  "  Beloved."  He  is  not  ashamed 
to  show  his  love  for  the  saints.  He  is  very  much  in 
earnest  that  the  Philippians  shall  be  loyal  to  Christ  in 
this  time  of  trial.  His  words  are  enough  to  melt  a 
heart  of  stone  and  must  have  had  a  powerful  effect  on 
the  church. 

2.    Helping  These  Women  (verses  2  f.). 

"  I  exhort  Euodia,  and  I  exhort  Syntyche,  to  be  of 
the  same  mind  in  the  Lord."  Paul  makes  specific* 
the  general  exhortation  in  2:2,  Clearly  these  two 
women  were  prominent  in  the  church  in  Philippi  and 
may  have  been  deaconesses  like  Phoebe  of  Cenchreae 

^  d-deXipoi  fjLou  d/am/jTot  Koi  ^TTtTroOrjTot.  Vulgate  has 
fratres  met  carissimi,  et  desideratissimi.  The  Latin  super- 
latives bring  out  the  passion  in  the  Greek  adjectives. 

'  ^apa  Ka.\  aTi<pav6<s  fiou.  Vg.  has  gaudium  meum  et  corona 
mea. 

^  diddrjfxa  (Rev.  12:3).  The  verb  (Treyavoo}  is  used  in 
the  /201V1J  for  obtaining  reward  (Deissmann,  "  Bible  Studies," 
p.  261).  *  TO  auTo  (fpovelv. 


228  PAUL'S  JOY   IN  CHRIST 

(Rom,  i6:i).  They  have  beautiful  names,  Euodia' 
means  "  Prosperous  Journey  "  (or  "  Sweet  Fragrance  " 
if  another  text  is  followed)  and  Syntyche  "  Good 
Luck,"  He  mentions  the  names  with  safety  in  pub- 
lic because  he  is  in  Rome  and  because  the  matter 
was  probably  now  a  topic  of  public  talk  though  not 
advanced  to  open  breach.  Klopper  thinks  that  sep- 
arate factions  of  the  church  were  meeting  in  the 
homes  of  these  two  women  as  the  church  originally 
met  in  the  home  of  Lydia  (Acts  i6  :  40).  Women 
were  prominent  in  the  foundation  of  the  church  in 
Phihppi  (Acts  16 :  1 3  f.)  and  had  special  honour  in  this 
Roman  colony  (cf,  Lightfoot,  in  loco)  as  in  Rome  it- 
self (Rom,  i6).2  The  activity  of  other  Macedonian 
women  in  Paul's  work  is  seen  in  Acts  17:4,  12. 
We  do  not  know  what  the  trouble  was  between  these 
women.  It  may  have  been  on  the  subject  of  perfec- 
tion (cf.  3:13-16).  It  may  have  been  the  very 
question  of  woman's  rights  or  it  may  have  been  a 
matter  of  personal  taste.  The  cause  may  have  been 
trivial  enough,  for  slight  bickerings  are  easily  magni- 
fied into  great  issues  by  the  hypersensitive.  "  It  may 
have  been  accidental  friction  between  two  energetic 
Christian  women "  (Kennedy).  A  slight  breeze 
would  cause  trouble  in  so  noble  a  church.     I  know 


*  EuoSca.  Some  MSS.  read  F.noi^iav  fcf.  OfTfir^v  euwdia'i  in 
4  :  18),      Both  of  these  names  occur  in  the  inscriptions, 

■^  Cf.  Ferrero,  "  The  Women  of  the  Ca-sars  "  and  his  "  Char- 
acters and  Events  of  Roman  History." 


THE  GARRISON  OF  PEACE  229 

of  a  lovely  woman  who  took  umbrage  because  a  dear 
friend  refused  to  speak  on  meeting  her  in  the  street. 
But  the  guilty  woman  was  near-sighted  and  did  not 
see  her  friend !  Paul  is  perfectly  impartial  in  his  ex- 
hortation and  repeats  the  verb^  with  each  name. 
Perhaps  each  was  to  blame  in  part.  They  can  come 
together  in  the  Lord  at  any  rate.  They  expect  to  be 
one  in  Christ  in  heaven.  They  had  best  be  so  here 
and  now. 

But  these  good  women  need  help  and  Paul  inter- 
cedes with  some  one  to  do  this  delicate  piece  of  work. 
The  work  of  peacemaker  has  a  high  reward  (Matt. 
5  :  9)  and  is  like  the  work  of  God  in  Christ  (Eph. 
2  :  14).  "  Yea,  I  beseech  thee^also,  true  yoke-fellow."  ^ 
Paul  introduces  "  a  third  party  "  (Vincent).  Who  is 
this  third  party  ?  The  suggestions  are  numerous. 
Epaphroditus,  the  bearer  of  the  letter,  is  considered 
most  probable  by  Lightfoot.  Ellicott  thinks  it  is  the 
chief  bishop  of  Philippi.  Clement  of  Alexandria 
thinks  it  is  Paul's  own  wife^  who  is  addressed  as 
"  true  yoke-fellow."  Others  have  guessed  Luke,  Silas, 
Timothy,  and  even  Christ.     It  is  most  likely  that 

'  TzapaKaXw.  It  means  to  call  to  one's  side.  The  Vulgate 
has  Evodiam  rogo,  et  Syntychen  deprecor,  a  needless  distinction 
in  the  verbs. 

^  vol  IpiOTU)  /cat  ffi,  pjjffte  awZoye.  For  vai  see  Matt. 
1 5  :  27  ;  Rom.  3  :  29.  ^EptuTui  like  rogo  is  used  of  equals 
and  airm  like  peto  towards  a  superior.  The  Vulgate  has 
germane  compar. 

'  But  yvTJffie  is  masculine. 


230  PAUL'S  JOY  IN  CHRIST 

Syzygus  is  a  proper  name  and  that  "  true  "  '  is  a  ref- 
erence to  the  meaning  of  "  yoke-fellow."  Live  up  to 
your  name,  a  joiner  together.  The  name  does  not 
occur  in  known  inscriptions,  but  Zygos  is  found  as  a 
Jewish  name.  At  any  rate  •'  help  these  women." ' 
"  Take  hold  together  with  them."  The  implication 
clearly  is  that  Euodia  and  Syntyche  wanted  to  lay 
aside  their  differences,  but  found  it  somewhat  embar- 
rassing to  make  a  start.  Take  hold  of  the  problem 
and  help  them  to  solve  it.  Speak  the  first  word 
towards  peace.  Be  a  peacemaker,  not  a  peace- 
breaker.  Much  of  the  best  work  that  we  do  is  in 
helping  others  to  agree.  It  is  always  a  noble  thing 
to  help  the  women,  "  for  they  laboured  with  me  in 
the  gospel."  ^  These  women  were  spiritual  athletes,* 
better  than  the  Amazons  of  story,  along  with  Paul. 
The  ministry  of  women  is  a  prominent  feature  of  early 
Christian  work  as  is  plain  in  the  Gospels,  Acts,  and 
Epistles.  It  is  not  made  clear  precisely  what  these 
women  did,  but  their  activity  is  unquestionable.  In- 
deed, to-day  too  many  men  are  willing  for  the  women 
to  do  it  all.     They  say  "  Ladies  first "  at  the  wrong 

^  yvTJfTce  genuine,  true  to  the  name  ab-^Zoyt.  For  a  similar 
play  on  the  name  see  Philemon  1 1  and  1 2  ( ^Ov-qniixov, 
euypricTTov,  uypi)(rTov).  See  P.  Epph.  63  B.  c.  311-310  for 
yuvalka  yvrjniav  for  "  legal  wife,"  "  genuine  wife." 

'^  auvXa/j.j3dv<)u  awrar?.  Literally,  "help  them."  Note 
middle  voice. 

^  aircvei}  iv  t<J)  euayyeXiu)  (tovijBXrjffdv  ;xot.  Causal  use  of 
ai'rtve?.  Cf.  Robertson,  **  Grammar,"  p.  960.  Cf.  Phil. 
3:7.  *  ffuvTJOXrjaav.      Cf.  I  :  27. 


THE  GARRISON  OF  PEACE  23I 

time.  Here  Clement  and  "  the  rest  of  my  fellow- 
workers  "  '  come  after  the  women.  We  do  not  know 
who  these  fellow-workers  were,  "  whose  names  are  in 
the  book  of  life."  ^  Possibly  these  workers  are  dead 
when  Paul  writes.  Paul  is  always  grateful  for  his 
co-labourers. 

3.    Gladness  (verse  4). 

Here  we  have  again  the  key-note  of  the  Epistle. 
Over  and  over  Paul  strikes  this  note  of  joy.  Recently 
I  read  an  article  on  "  The  Joyous  Life  "  in  a  physical 
culture  magazine.  The  writer  was  pleading  for  a  more 
outspoken  manifestation  of  good-will  and  hilarity,  a 
rather  coarse  and  boisterous  view  of  happiness.  Paul 
knew  the  joyous  Hfe,  the  mood  of  cheerfulness,  the 
serenity  and  calmness  of  spirit  possible  only  to  the 
soul  stayed  on  God.  So  he  strikes  this  refrain : 
"  Rejoice  in  the  Lord  always."  ^  There  is  no  other 
ground  of  perpetual  optimism  that  is  not  blind  in- 
difference. Only  "  in  the  Lord  "  is  it  possible  to  get 
a  view  of  life  as  a  whole  that  will  stand  the  shock  of 
sorrow  and  sin.  Paul  knows  that  he  has  said  "  al- 
ways "  and  that  this  word  covers  the  darker  side  of 
human  life.  So  he  says  it  over  again,  after  pausing 
in  contemplation  of  sorrow,  "  Again  I  will  say. 
Rejoice."  *  This  philosophy  of  life  is  no  ephemeral 
emotion,  but  a  settled  principle,  a  deeper  feeling  that 

*  Tcbv  Xotnciv  (Tuvepyuiv  fioo.      Cf.  2:25. 
''■  J»v  rd  ovofiaTza  kv  (ii^Xu)  Zwr^?-    This  is  an  Old  Testament 
figure.     Cf.  Ex.  32:32;  Isa.  4:3;  Ezek.  13:9. 

^  ^atperBf  ev  Kupiu)  ndvzoTs.  *  itdhv  spu),  ^aipere. 


232  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

underlies  all  the  storm-tossed  waves  on  the  surface. 
Paul's  joy  is  not  grounded'in  earthly  conditions,  but 
in  Christ.  No  one  can  rob  Paul  of  Christ  or  of  his 
joy  in  Christ.  Christ  satisfies  Paul's  soul.  Christ  is 
his  all  and  in  all.  He  needs  naught  else  to  make  his 
soul  sing  aloud  for  sheer  joy,  to  sing  aloud  and  to 
sing  long.  Men  differ  in  their  opinion  as  to  the 
sweetest  song-bird.  Some  say  the  nightingale,  some 
the  mocking-bird,  some  the  Enghsh  skylark,  some 
the  Kentucky  cardinal,  some  the  wood-robin.  Each 
bird  has  his  individual  note,  but  each  has  the  note 
of  joy.  Christians  have  not  risen  to  their  privileges 
in  the  matter  of  conquering  joy.  It  is  resistless  as  a 
witness  for  Clirist  and  as  an  antidote  for  grief. 

4.     Gentleness  (verse  5). 

Joy  and  graciousness  go  together.  "  Let  your  for- 
bearance (gentleness,  margin  of  R.  V.)  be  known  unto 
all  men."  '  The  word  for  forbearance  and  gentleness 
is  translated  in  various  ways  as  moderation  (A.  V.),^ 

^  TO  lizuik-kq  Ujiihv  yvwffOiJTO}  izafftv  dvOpwrtoci^.  The  neuter 
adjective  with  article  to  iT:ce:Ar£<i  is  used  as  abstract  quality  like 
inteirieta.  Cf.  to  '^^prjaTov  (Rom.  2  :  4)  and  rt) /iWjOov  ( i  Cor. 
I  :  25).     See  Robertson,  "  Grammar,"  p.  654. 

■■^  Cf.  Modes tia  of  the  Vulgate.  Aristotle  {Nich.  Eth.V. 
10)  contrasts  the  word  with  dk[Ji^odu:atiii;  judging  severely. 
In  I  Pet.  2:18  and  Jas.  3  :  17  it  is  connected  with  dyuOu>i 
and  eb-£i6ri'Si  ^"  '  "Tim.  3  :  3  and  Tit.  3  :  2  with  a/ia^ni;, 
in  2  Cor.  10:1  with  7r/>af'jr7j9.  The  word  is  from  £; /ivy?  rea- 
sonable, fitting,  likely,  equitable,  fair,  mild,  gentle.  The 
stem  of  eot/ea  is  eikio  the  same  as  elk^ot  to  yield,  concede, 
though  they  are  not  associated  by  the  lexicons.  The  funda- 
mental ideas  are  similar. 


THE  GARRISON  OF  PEACE  233 

reasonableness  (Kennedy),  *'  sweet  reasonableness  " 
(Matthew  Arnold,  "  Literature  and  Dogma,"  pp. 
66,  138).  Courtesy  is  not  far  from  the  true  idea.  It 
is  graciousness  with  strength  and  poise  of  character. 
It  is  the  opposite  of  obstinacy.  The  word  is  not 
negative '  restraint  simply,  but  positive  giving  up  to 
the  reasonable  desires  of  others.  It  is  the  mildness 
of  disposition  that  leads  one  to  be  fair  and  to  go  be- 
yond the  letter  of  the  law.  The  best  type  of  the 
ancients  prided  themselves  on  this  trait  of  moder- 
ation. Christianity  carried  it  much  further  and  gave 
a  touch  that  was  not  there  before,  the  grace  of  giving 
up  to  the  weaker.  Kennedy  pertinently  quotes  from 
Pater's  "  Marius  the  Epicurean,"  (ii.,  p.  120):  "As 
if  by  way  of  a  due  recognition  of  some  immeasurable 
Divine  condescension  manifest  in  a  certain  historic 
fact,  its  influence  was  felt  more  especially  at  those 
points  which  demanded  some  sacrifice  of  one's  self, 
for  the  weak,  for  the  aged,  for  little  children,  and 
even  for  the  dead.  And  then,  for  its  constant 
outward  token,  its  significant  manner  or  index,  it 
issued  in  a  certain  debonair  grace,  and  a  certain 
mystic  attractiveness  or  courtesy,  which  made  Marius 
doubt  whether  that  famed  Greek  blitheness  or  gaiety 
or  grace  in  the  handling  of  hfe  had  been,  after  all,  an 
unrivalled  success."  In  a  word,  what  Paul  here  urges 
is  the  grace  of  giving  up,  not  because  one  has  to 
surrender  to  superior  force,  but  because  of  the  nobler 
^  Like  d'^o^TJ  (from  dvi^w,  hold  back). 


234  PAUL'S  JOY  IN   CHRIST 

impulses  of  generosity  and  gentleness.  Ignatius '  has 
it  when  he  pleads  :  "  Let  us  be  found  their  brothers 
by  our  forbearance."  It  includes  the  chivalry  of  the 
true  man  towards  a  woman,  his  own  sister  or  mother 
or  wife,  or  any  one's  sister  or  mother  or  wife.  A 
gentleman  is  a  gentle  man.  "  Thy  gentleness  hath 
made  me  great "  (2  Sam.  22 :  36),  said  David  of  God's 
dealings  with  him.  The  great  illustration  is  the  ex- 
ample of  Jesus.  **  Now  I  Paul  myself  entreat  you  by 
the  meekness  and  gentleness  ^  of  Christ,  I  who  in 
your  presence  am  lowly  among  you,  but  being  absent 
am  of  good  courage  towards  you "  (2  Cor.  10 :  i). 
The  gentleness  of  Jesus  appeals  to  us  to  be  gentle 
also,  not  only  to  Christians,  but  to  all  so  far  as  we  can. 
"The  Lord  is  at  hand,"^  Paul  adds.  The  phrase 
can  mean  that  "  The  Lord  is  near "  in  space  as  in 
Psalm  145:18.  "The  Lord  is  nigh  unto  all  that 
call  upon  him."  ^  But  it  is  more  likely  that  (cf.  Rom. 
13 :  12 ;  Jas.  5  :  8)  Paul  here  means  Christ  by  Lord  as 
he  usually  does  and  is  referring  to  the  expected 
return  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  Indeed,  this  expression 
was  a  sort  of  watchword  with  Paul  (Lightfoot),  a 
password  for  the  elect.  Cf.  the  Aramaic  "  Marana 
tha"5  or  "O  Lord,   come"   (i  Cor.  16:22).     The 

^  Eph.  X  adeXfol  aurwv  eopsOuJfi£v  Trj  imstReia. 

*  dta  T7j<i  7TpauTrjTo<i  /lot  iT:cecA:£ia^  too  Xpiaroo. 

*  cJ  hbpux;  iyyu?. 

*  i)'yu'S  hupioii  Tzdffc  T0T9  knikaXounivoi^  aurov. 

^  Mapa>a   Od  or   Mapav  add  "  The   Lord  will   come "   or 
*'The  Lord  is  here." 


THE  GARRISON  OF  PEACE  235 

manner  of  Christ  is  a  reason  for  repose  of  spirit  (see 
next  verses)  and  for  gentleness  towards  others.  The 
clause  here  is  taken  by  some  with  verse  5,  by  some 
with  verse  6,  by  some  with  both.  It  is  true  of  the 
continued  presence  of  Jesus  with  us  by  the  Holy 
Spirit  (Matt.  28  :  20)  as  well  as  of  the  blessed  hope  of 
His  second  coming.  •<  Lo,  I  am  with  you  all  the 
days,  even  unto  the  consummation  of  the  age." 
Jesus  is  coming  again,  but  Jesus  is  also  here  and  near 
us  all  the  varied  days  of  our  checkered  human  life, 
here  to  cheer  us  and  to  beckon  us  on  to  follow  in  His 
steps. 

5.    The  Heart  at  Rest  (verses  6  f.). 

Paul  has  risen  to  the  pure  empyrean  of  spiritual 
repose  above  carking  cares.  He  soars  like  the  eagle 
above  the  storms  below.  "  In  nothing  be  anxious.".* 
It  is  a  common  word  in  the  Gospels  for  harassing 
care  that  Paul  here  uses  (cf.  Matt.  6 :  25).  It  sug- 
gests brooding  and  pondering  into  which  our  human 
nature  so  easily  falls  (i  Pet.  5  17).  It  is  the  anxious 
solicitude^  that  one  finds  hard  to  avoid  in  time  of 
real  trouble  as  well  as  "  the  little  foxes  that  eat  away 
the  vine."  Christ  is  the  only  cure  for  anxiety  of 
heart.  He  can  calm  the  fluttering  heart  that  palpi- 
tates with  worry  and  dread  (cf.  John  14:  i,  "  Let  not 
your  heart  be  troubled  ").    Christ's  panacea  for  heart 

^  Ij.7)Sev  fxepcfivare.  Cf.  Homeric  fiepiJLTjpiZeiv  to  debate 
anxiously. 

^  Vulgate  has  nihi/  solliciti  sitis. 


236  ~  '  PAUL'S  JOY  IN  CHRIST 

trouble  is  trust  in  Him  as  in  God.  Paul  suggests 
prayer  to  God.  At  bottom  the  solution  is  the  same. 
"  Let  your  requests  be  made  known  unto  God." ' 
Come  into  the  presence  of  ^  God  and  open  your  heart 
to  Him  just  as  if  God  did  not  know  all  about  it.  The 
mother  loves  to  have  the  sobbing  child  tell  all  the 
trouble  to  her.  She  understands  and  the  child  is 
sure  of  sympathy  and  help.  The  difficulties  will  be 
smoothed  out  in  mother's  arms.  God  loves  to  hear 
the  tale  of  our  woes  "  by  prayer  and  supplication."^ 
It  should  be  in  the  spirit  of  gratitude.  "  Thanksgiv- 
ing is  the  background,  the  predominant  tone  of  the 
Christian  life  "  (Kennedy).  We  are  to  pray  '♦  with 
thanksgiving."  *  This  is  an  essential  element,  for  dis- 
satisfaction with  God  will  "  clip  the  wings  of  prayer  " 
(Kennedy).  *'  Remembrance  and  supplication  are  the 
two  necessary  elements  of  every  Christian  prayer" 
(Rilliet).  "  Thankfulness  for  past  blessings  is  a  neces- 
sary condition  of  acceptance  in  preferring  new  peti- 
tions "  (Lightfoot).  We  are  to  make  known  our 
requests  to  God  "  in  everything."  ^  We  are  not  to 
pick  our  ground  too  sharply,  but  to  have  whole- 
hearted abandonment  to  the  will  of  God  in  every 

'  ra  alr-qiiara  U[iu)v  yvajftt^iffOu)  npu?  tov  Osdv.  Vulgate 
has  petitio7ies. 

''■  7zpd<}  face  to  face  with. 

^  T?j  npofTsoxfi  /sat  rfj  SsTJfTti.  The  general  term  for  prayer 
and  the  particular  word  for  petition. 

*  fier  eb^apiaria'i.      Cf.  our  word  Eucharist. 

^  iv  navTi. 


THE   GARRISON   OF  PEACE  237 

situation.  We  are  to  know  that  all  things  work 
together  for  our  good  (Rom.  8  :  28),  whether  we  can 
perceive  it  in  this  particular  instance  or  not. 

"  And  the  peace  of  God,  which  passeth  all  under- 
standing, shall  guard  your  hearts  and  your  thoughts 
in  Christ  Jesus."  The  blessing  here  offered  is  the 
result  •  of  the  attitude  of  prayer  in  verse  6.  God  is 
the  God  of  peace  (Phil.  4 :  9)  and  His  peace  ^  is  the 
inward  peace  of  the  soul  that  is  grounded  in  God's 
presence  and  promise  (Vincent).  Paul  here  assumes 
that  we  have  made  our  peace  with  God  in  Christ  and 
now  we  are  enjoying  our  peace  with  God  (Rom.  S  '•  ^)- 
This  pax  Dei  is  the  tranquillity  possible  only  to  the 
soul  that  has  found  rest  in  the  bosom  of  Christ. 
"  Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labour  and  are  heavy 
laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest "  (Matt.  1 1 :  28). 
"  This  peace  is  like  some  magic  mirror,  by  the  dim- 
ness growing  on  which  we  may  discern  the  breath  of 
an  unclean  spirit  that  would  work  us  ill"  (Rendel 
Harris,  "  Memoranda  Sacra,"  p.  130).  This  inward 
peace  fills  the  heart  "  with  all  joy  and  peace  in  be- 
lieving "  (Rom.  15  :  13) ;  "  for  the  Kingdom  of  God  is 
not  eating  and  drinking,  but  righteousness  and  peace 
and  joy  in  the  Holy  Spirit"  (Rom.  14:17).  This 
peace  of  God  "  passes  all  understanding."^     Like  a 

^  Kol  is  here  consecutive  =:  "  and  so  "  or  inferential  =: 
"then."     Cf.  Robertson,  "Grammar,"  p.  1183. 

*^  e'cpijvrj  Tou  dtou. 

^ij  onepi^ouaa  Tzavra  vuov.  Intellectual  grasp  (voi)<i). 
Onepi^u)  is  to  overtop,  to  surpass.     Cf.  2:3;   3:8. 


238  PAUL'S  JOY  IN  CHRIST 

granite  peak  it  rises  sheer  above  the  mists  and  clouds 
of  human  speculation.  Intellectual  apprehension  fails 
to  grasp  the  height  of  it.  The  intellect  is  a  noble 
gift  and  is  to  be  honoured  and  used,  but  it  is  not  in- 
falUble  and  at  best  is  a  feeble  instrument  of  knowl- 
edge. The  emotions  and  the  will  are  more  funda- 
mental and  more  rehable.  I  stand  by  the  rights  of 
the  intellect  in  criticism  and  in  life.  We  are  bound 
to  do  so  or  to  abdicate  the  throne  of  reason.  But, 
after  all  is  said  and  done,  the  intellect  is  like  a  bird 
with  a  broken  wing.  Faith  can  fly  farther  and  faster 
and  more  surely.  We  must  learn  to  trust  the  primal 
instincts  as  well  as  the  reason.  The  peace  of  God 
rises  above  the  sphere  of  intellect  {sensum,  Vul- 
gate). This  peace  of  God  shall  act  as  a  garrison' 
to  the  soul.  This  is  a  promise,  not  a  prayer  (Vin- 
cent). It  is  a  military  term.  Hicks  ("  Classical  Re- 
view," 1.,  pp.  7  f.,  suggests  the  garrisoning  of  the 
towns  by  the  Roman  soldiers  as  a  familiar  sight. 
The  successors  of  Alexander  the  Great  made  a  fea- 
ture of  such  garrisons  in  the  towns  of  Asia  Minor. 
Philippi  was  a  Roman  colony  and  a  military  out- 
post. 

"  Love  is  and  was  my  King  and  Lord, 

And  will  be,  though  as  yet  I  keep         ^^^ 
Within  his  court  on  earth,  and  sleep 
Encompassed  by  his  faithful  guard, 

'  (ppoop-j(T£i.     Vg.    custodial.     Cf.    i    Pet.    I  :  5    Tob^   iv 
dovdfiet  Oeou  <ppoupoofiivou<i. 


THE   GARRISON   OF   PEACE  239 

And  hear  at  times  a  sentinel 

Who  moves  about  from  place  to  place, 
And  whispers  to  the  worlds  of  space, 

In  the  deep  night  that  all  is  well." 

— Tennyson. 

So  the  sentinel  of  God's  peace  mounts  guard  over 
our  hearts  and  thoughts.  One  recalls  the  comfort 
of  the  voice  of  the  sentinel  who  walks  the  bridge 
of  the  ship  at  night  in  time  of  storm  and  calls  out 
that  all  is  well.  The  little  child  is  sometimes  unable 
to  sleep  without  the  pressure  of  mother's  hand  and 
the  soothing  melody  of  mother's  voice.  This  peace 
of  God  quiets  both  our  hearts  and  our  thoughts. 
When  insomnia  comes,  the  mind  is  abnormally  active 
and  the  brain  whirls  round  and  round.  When  fear 
grips  the  heart,  rest  is  gone.  Both  heart  and  thoughts 
are  soothed  ^to  calm  and  rest  as  Jesus  stilled  the  sea 
of  Gahlee  in  spite  of  wind  and  storm.  Beautiful 
tranquilhty  comes  to  him  whose  soul  rests  in  Christ 
Jesus  for  the  peace  of  God  keeps  watch  over  his  life. 

6.     High  Thinking  (verse  8). 

Paul  is  now  thinking  of  the  close  of  the  Epistle, 
"  Finally,  brethren,"  *  he  says,  but  with  no  reference 
to  3 : 1  where  he  used  similar  language.  It  is  not  a 
second  finally  in  the  strict  sense,  though  Lightfoot 
says  that  once  more  the  Apostle  attempts  to  conclude. 
Paul  thus  introduces  a  noble  exhortation  to  the  high- 


240  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

est  ideals  of  thought  and  endeavour.  It  is  a  final 
recapitulation  of  themes  for  meditation  and  practice 
(Ellicott).  The  Stoics  had  their  four  cardinal  virtues 
(prudence,  temperance,  justice,  fortitude).  We  are 
not  to  think  that  Paul  is  here  giving  a  list  of  Chris- 
tian virtues  on  a  par  with  these.  In  truth,  he  at- 
tempts no  inclusive  list  of  spiritual  ideals,  but  gives 
in  rapid  fashion  two  groups,  one  introduced  by 
"  whatsoever,"  '  the  other  by  "  if,"  ^  Lightfoot  sees 
a  descending  scale  in  the  words.  Perhaps  so,  and 
the  two  "  if "  clauses  may  be  an  afterthought.  The 
list  is  rather  too  beautiful  for  one  to  enjoy  minute 
dissection.  We  may  pause  a  moment  on  each  of  the 
words.  "  True  "  ^  is  to  be  taken  in  the  widest  sense, 
far  more  than  simply  veracious.  "  God  is  the  norm 
of  truth "  (Vincent)  and  Jesus  is  the  truth  (John 
14:  6).  The  moral  ideal  of  Christianity  rests  on  re- 
ality and  aims  at  reality  as  it  answers  to  the  nature 
of  God.  Truth  is  the  very  core  of  Christ's  teaching. 
It  is  no  mere  value  judgment.  "Honourable"^  is 
more  exactly  venerable  or  reverend  or  "  nobly  seri- 
ous "  (Matthew  Arnold  ^)  as  opposed  to  that  flippancy 
that  lacks  "  intellectual  seriousness."  Reverence  is  a 
sadly  needed  virtue  in  many  quarters  to-day.   "  Just "  ® 

'  o<Ta.      Queecunque,  ^  el'  tc<;.      Si  qua. 

'  dlrjO-^.      Vera. 

*  nzivm.      From    aifioiiai  to  worship.      Vg.   pudica.      Op- 
posed to  /ioocpoq  lightness. 

^ "  God  and  the  Bible,"  Preface  XXII. 
^  dikaia.      From  (Jc'A-^.      Yg.justa. 


THE  GARRISON   OF   PEACE  24I 

or  righteous  is  applied  to  both  God  and  man.  It  is 
the  right  way  of  looking  at  things,  right  per  se 
(cf.  Rom.  2  :  13),  according  to  God's  standard.  These 
three  qualities  are  fundamental  in  Christian  ideals, 
the  deep  down  things  that  go  to  the  roots  of  right 
living.  "  Pure  "  *  is  stainless,  chaste,  unsullied  as  a 
pure  virgin.  "  Lovely  "  ^  is  whatever  calls  forth  love, 
attracts  to  itself,  the  graciousness  that  wins  and 
charms.  Cf.  the  Beauty  of  Holiness  in  the  Psalms 
and  the  Beautiful  and  the  Good  of  the  Greeks.  "  Of 
good  report  "^  is  "  fair-sounding  "  (Vincent),  almost 
our  "  high-toned "  ^  (Kennedy).  Whatever  rings 
true  to  the  previous  notes  is  not  out  of  tune  with 
the  Christian  standard  of  morality.  There  are  ever 
new  and  changing  questions  that  have  to  be  tested 
by  the  Christian's  spiritual  tuning-fork.  The  piano 
must  be  kept  in  tune.  So  must  our  sensitive  spiri- 
tual nature  be  kept  clean  and  sweet.  "  Virtue  "  ^  is 
moral  excellence,  a  common  heathen  term  that  Paul 
seems  generally  to  avoid  (Lightfoot).  The  word 
originally  meant  only  courage  or  manly  skill  or  ex- 
cellence with  no  moral  quality.  It  gradually  came 
to  be  used  in  a  variety  of  ways.*"     Peter  uses  it  of 

^  dyvd.  Vg.  sancta.  ayw^  is  holy,  consecrated,  but  o-yvo^ 
is  pure,  untouched  of  evil,  undefiled. 

^  -Kpoacpilrj.  Vg.  amabilia.  Alone  here  in  the  New  Tes- 
tament.    Cf.  Sir.  4:7;   20  :  13. 

^  £V(p-qij.a,      Vg.  bo7ia  famoe. 

*  "  Was  einen  guten  Klang  hat  "  (Lipsius). 

^  apsr-q.      Firtus  (Yg.). 

®  Cf.  Deissmann,  "  Bible  Studies,"  pp.  90  fF. 


242  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

God  (i  Pet.  2:9;  2  Pet.  i  :  3)  and  treats  it  as  a 
Christian  grace  (2  Pet.  i  :  4).  Paul  says :  "  Quit  you 
like  men,'  be  strong"  (i  Cor.  16:  13).  Christianity 
does  appeal  to  the  elemental  virtues  in  young  man- 
hood (cf.  I  John  2:13  f.),  the  sense  of  the  heroic,  the 
nobility  of  service  for  others.  It  has  taken  over  this 
heathen  virtue  and  applied  it  to  a  higher  cause. 
"  Praise  "  ^  is  the  moral  approbation  from  the  practice 
of  virtue  (cf.  I  Cor.  1 3).  Put  your  mind '  on  these 
things  just  mentioned.  It  is  not  the  mere  flash  of 
thought  like  the  flitting  of  a  sparrow,  but  deliberate 
and  prolonged  contemplation  as  if  one  is  weighing  a 
mathematical  problem.  Reckon  up  the  pros  and 
cons  of  the  moral  values  in  life.  Too  many  fail  just 
here.  They  do  not  give  Christ  worthy  consideration. 
Make  your  mind  move  in  the  realm  of  elevated 
thoughts.  High  thinking  is  essential  to  holy  living. 
We  must  let  Christ  control  our  thoughts,  "  casting 
down  imaginations  and  every  high  thing  that  is  ex- 
alted against  the  knowledge  of  God,  and  bringing 
every  thought  into  captivity  to  the  obedience  of 
Christ  "  (2  Cor.  10 :  5). 

7.     High  Endeavour  (verse  9). 
"  These  do."  ^     These  practice  as  a  habit.     These 
put  into  practice  and  keep  on  doing  them.     Noble 

*  d.v8piZsff6e.  *  k'natvo?.     Vg.  /aus  discipline. 
^  XoyiZeaOs.     Vg.  cogitate.     Present  (linear  action)  tense. 

*  Taura     Trpdffffere.     Linear    present.     Sometimes    distin- 
guished from  nocelv  to  accomplish.      Vg.  haec  agite. 


THE  GARRISON   OF   PEACE  243 

ideals  will  come  to  naught  unless  translated  into 
deeds.  Performance  surpasses  mere  preaching.  The 
physician  must  practice  his  theories  and  heal  himself. 
So  Paul  turns  from  generalities  to  particulars.'  Paul 
has  given  above  proper  subjects  for  meditation.  He 
now  presents  a  proper  line  of  action  (Lightfoot).  It 
is  now  a  scheme  of  duties  (Vincent),  not  a  list  of 
mottoes.  It  is  not  necessary  to  say  with  Ellicott 
that  Paul  has  precisely  the  same  ideas  in  mind  in 
verse  9  as  in  verse  8,  but  certainly  the  general  out- 
line is  the  same.  Paul  urges  that  the  Philippians 
transmute  aspiration  into  actuality,  profession  into 
performance.  He  even  claims  that  he  has  given  them 
a  suitable  example  for  their  imitation.  The  expo- 
nents of  so-called  "  New  Thought "  at  least  have 
grasped  the  truth  of  the  relation  between  thought  and 
life.  Paul  was  a  practical  idealist,  a  pragmatist  in  the 
best  sense  of  that  term.  He  gave  them  proper  pre- 
cepts similar  to  the  list  in  verse  8  :  "  The  things 
which  ye  both  learned  and  received."  ^  They  had 
taken  their  lesson  well  from  Paul  as  the  transmitter. 
Paul  had  also  given  them  the  concrete  expression  of 
abstract  truth  :  "  and  heard  and  saw  in  me."^  They 
knew  his  life  among  them  which  was  an  open  book 
to  them.     This  is  the  Bible  that  the  world  eagerly 

^  "  Facit  transitionem  a  generalibus  ad  Paulina  "  (Bengel). 

*  a  flat  ijiddere  Kai  TzaptXa^ere.  Vg.  qua  et  didkistis,  et 
accepistis. 

^  izai  TjkouffaTe  /iai  el'dere  iv  kfxoi.  Vg.  et  audistis,  et  vi- 
distis  in  me. 


244  PAUL'S  JOY  IN   CHRIST 

reads,  the  epistle  that  is  known  and  read  of  all  men, 
the  life  of  Christ  in  God's  people.  There  is  no  es- 
cape from  it.  Paul  humbly  points  to  his  life  in  Christ 
as  an  aid  to  the  Philippians  in  following  after  the 
great  ideals  set  before  them,  "  And  the  God  of  peace 
shall  be  with  you."  '  This  is  proper  preparedness  to 
make  peace  with  God  by  surrender  to  His  will  and 
then  to  find  peace  and  power  in  God  through  Christ. 

*  /lot  6  ffed?  r^9  elpijvrjg  k'trrat  ;x£6^  ufiwv.  Vg.  Deus  pads 
erit  vobiscum.  For  this  phrase  (God  of  peace)  see  also  Rom. 
15  :  33  ;   16  :  20  ;   I  Thess.  5  :  23  ;   Heb.  13  :  20. 


XI 

THE  SECRET  OF  HAPPINESS 
(4 :  10-23) 

THIS  Epistle  is  not  long,  but  it  is  very  rich 
in  thought  and  fertile  in  suggestion.  There 
seems  little  order  save  the  introduction,  the 
body  of  the  Epistle,  and  the  close,  but  Paul  has  an 
orderly  method  in  his  own  mind  in  spite  of  the  ap- 
parently easy  and  incidental  way  in  which  he  goes 
on  his  way. 

I.     Delicate  Appreciation  (verse  10). 

"  But  I  rejoice  in  the  Lord  greatly,"  '  Paul  adds 
with  no  apology  for  his  repeated  expression  of  joy 
in  the  Lord,  great '  joy  this  time,  "  that  now  at  length 
ye  have  revived  your  thought  for  me."  ^  Paul  had 
indeed  alluded  to  the  generosity  of  the  Philippians  in 
the  gift  which  Epaphroditus  had  brought  (1:5,  7; 
2 :  30),  but  he  had  not  formally  thanked  them  for 
their  kindness.     He  seemed  about  to  forget  it  in  his 

^  i^dprjv  de  kv  Ruplm  fj.eydXw?.  The  epistolary  aorist 
(Robertson,  "  Grammar,"  p.  845).  "  The  de  arrests  a  sub- 
ject which  is  in  danger  of  escaping  "  (Lightfoot). 

^  Polycarp  ad  Phil.  i.  has  auve^dpr/v  ufilv  ixeydlw^  iv  Kupitp 
ijfiwv  ^Irjffoo  Xptazou. 

^  ozt  ^Stj    TtoTs  dveddkeTe  to  unep  ifioo  <ppovetv, 

245 


246  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

eager  discussion  of  other  things  and  so  he  checked 
himself  before  it  was  too  late.  They  had  sent  the 
gift  in  the  Lord  and  he  had  received  it  in  the  Lord 
and  he  now  is  grateful  in  the  Lord.  Kennedy  thinks 
that  Paul  here  discusses  his  attitude  towards  the  gift 
of  the  Philippians  because  of  the  base  slanders  about 
him  elsewhere.  The  "  cloak  of  covetousness  "  was  a 
phrase  flung  at  him  in  Thessalonica  that  stuck  and 
hurt  this  proud  and  sensitive  man  (i  Thess,  2  :  5). 
It  is  an  old  canard  that  preachers  preach  for  money. 
If  so,  very  few  ever  get  the  object  of  their  ambition. 
Paul  defended  his  right  to  full  pay  for  his  preaching 
( I  Cor.  9  :  3-18 ;  Gal.  6 :  6),  but  because  of  the  foolish 
misrepresentations  of  his  work  in  Corinth  he  made  the 
gospel  message  there  without  charge.  Some  even 
criticized  him  for  this  refusal  to  receive  pay,  but  Paul 
continued  to  preach  the  Gospel  for  naught  in  Corinth 
to  cut  off  occasion  from  those  who  desire  occasion 
(2  Cor.  11:8-12).  He  even  "  robbed  other  churches  " 
to  do  this  thing.  But  even  so  he  did  not  escape,  for 
he  was  accused  of  using  Titus  to  raise  a  fund  for 
himself  under  pretense  of  getting  money  for  the  poor 
saints  in  Jerusalem  (2  Cor.  12  :  16-18).  It  is  a  hu- 
miliating experience  for  a  preacher  to  have  to  make 
public  appeal  for  his  own  support.  Paul  refused  to 
stoop  to  that  level  and  worked  with  his  own  hands 
(i  Thess.  2:9;  Acts  20:  33 f)  in  order  to  be  inde- 
pendent of  those  who  were  so  ready  to  impute  wrong 
motives  to  him.     He  rejoiced  in  the  church  at  Phi- 


THE  SECRET  OF  HAPPINESS  247 

lippi  because  they  trusted  him  and  understood  him. 
They  gladly  and  frequently  made  contributions  for 
the  support  of  his  work  elsewhere.  For  some  time 
the  Philippians  had  not  remembered  Paul  in  this 
way.  He  had  been  a  prisoner  in  Csesarea  for  over 
two  years.  Then  came  the  voyage  and  shipwreck 
and  the  imprisonment  in  Rome.  A  considerable  in- 
terval had  elapsed  since  the  last  time  (cf.  2  Cor.  11:9) 
before  Epaphroditus  came.  It  has  seemed  long 
("  now  at  length  ")  to  Paul  as  he  looked  back  over  it 
all.  The  coming  of  Epaphroditus  seemed  like  a 
genuine  revival  of  interest  on  the  part  of  the  Philip- 
pians. It  was  like  old  times  to  hear  from  them  again 
in  this  way.  "  Ye  let  your  thought  of  me  sprout  up  * 
now  once  again  "  like  a  plant  in  spring  (the  miracle 
of  spring !).  Their  thought  of  Paul  had  blossomed 
again  like  the  first  crocuses  of  spring.  Like  a  bunch 
of  roses  their  gift  spoke  volumes.  It  was  sweet  to 
Paul  to  be  remembered  again  by  his  old  friends  in 
his  hour  of  trial.  People  sometimes  take  the  pastor 
too  much  as  a  matter  of  course.  It  did  my  soul 
good  one  day  to  hear  a  deacon  say  of  his  pastor : 
"  He  is  worth  his  weight  in  gold."  I  told  the  pastor 
what  the  deacon  had  said  and  it  cheered  him  greatly. 
But  Paul's  delicate  nature  shrinks  from  the  impli- 
cation that  they  had  really  forgotten  him.  "  Wherein 
ye  did  indeed  take  thought,  but  ye  lacked  oppor- 

*  dvsddXsTs.     Rare  second  aorist  form  and  probably  transi- 
tive as  in  Ezek.  1 7  :  24.     Ingressive  aorist. 


248  PAUL'S  JOY  IN  CHRIST 

tunity."  '  Paul's  sensitive  concern  makes  him  with- 
draw the  implied  rebuke  for  their  apparent  neglect. 
They  may  not  have  known  always  where  he  was  or 
they  may  have  had  no  messenger  till  Epaphroditus 
came.  The  word  for  "  lacked  opportunity  "  could 
mean  "  lacked  means."  Expression  of  thanks  is 
often  embarrassing,  but  Paul  keeps  his  poise  and 
misses  the  pitfalls. 

2.     Manly  Independence  (verses  ii^,  17^). 

Paul  is  not  free  from  fear  about  being  misunder=. 
stood  on  the  subject  of  money.  It  is  in  truth  a 
thorny  problem.  He  has  set  straight  his  appre- 
ciation of  the  continued  interest  and  love  of  the 
Philippians.  But  he  shrinks  again  from  the  fear 
that  they  will  think  that  he  is  hinting  for  future 
favours.  "  Not  that  I  speak  in  respect  of  want."  ^ 
He  repeats  the  same  caveat  in  verse  17^:  "  Not  that 
I  seek  for  the  gift."  ^  Paul  does  not  wish  his  joy 
at  this  fresh  proof  of  their  love  to  be  understood 
as  mere  satisfaction  at  relief  from  want  or  begging 
for  a  repetition  of  like  generosity.     He  is  not  sug- 

*  l(p  ij}  k(i\  t(ppovsiT£,  rj/iatpeTfrOs  Si.  The  imperfects  pic- 
ture the  state  of  mind  of  the  Philippians.  Liddell  and  Scott 
give  only  one  instance  (Diod.  Siculus)  o^  dkatpiu).  Moulton 
&  Milligan's  "  Vocabulary  "  gives  no  instance  in  the  papyri 
and  inscriptions,  but  does  give  ai(aipu)'S  and  anaipia.  Eu- 
kaipio)  in  sense  of  favourable  opportunity  occurs  in  the  papyri. 

''■  Oir^  on  na(f  ufrziprimv  kiyu).  Cf.  3:12  for  similar  use 
of  ou^j^  ore  to  guard  against  misapprehension.  The  Vg.  has 
non  quasi  propter  penuriam  dico. 

^  Ou^  on  iTTi^TjTut  TO  dofiu.      Note  the  force  of  i~i. 


THE   SECRET  OF   HAPPINESS  249 

gesting  that  they  do  it  again.  Many  another 
preacher  has  had  similar  emotions  as  he  expresses 
appreciation  of  the  kindnesses  received  at  the  hands 
of  friends.  Paul  is  sensitive  on  the  point  of  his 
financial  independence.  He  vindicated  his  right  to 
adequate  remuneration  for  his  work  in  Corinth,  as  we 
have  seen  (i  Cor.  9  :  6-20),  but  all  the  same  he  would 
not  allow  them  to  pay  him  because  of  their  suspicion 
and  perversion  of  his  conduct.  So  he  toiled  on  at 
his  trade  of  tent-making  and  supported  himself  in  the 
main,  though  he  did  accept  the  gifts  from  the  Phi- 
hppians.  Many  of  the  pioneer  American  preachers 
were  confronted  with  precisely  this  situation.  In 
order  to  preach  at  all  they  had  to  support  them- 
selves. Usually  the  pioneer  preacher  had  a  farm. 
Sometimes  he  was  a  merchant,  a  lawyer,  or  a  phy- 
sician. All  honour  to  the  courageous  men  who  met 
abnormal  conditions  and  knew  how  to  preach  Christ 
in  spite  of  ignorance  and  prejudice.  We  are  not  yet 
past  this  mistreatment  of  preachers  who  are  paid  in 
most  cases  a  pitiful  salary  and  are  not  allowed  to 
splice  it  out  by  secular  business.  If  preachers  do  not 
live  well  on  a  pittance,  they  are  considered  poor 
business-  men.  If  they  do  make  some  money,  they 
are  charged  with  being  fond  of  filthy  lucre,  as,  alas, 
is  sometimes  true.  But  the  modern  minister  must 
keep  out  of  debt,  pay  his  bills  promptly,  make  a  good 
appearance  and  so  dress  well,  entertain  largely,  edu- 
cate his  children,  lead  his  church  in  beneficence,  and 


250  PAUL'S  JOY  IN   CHRIST 

save  some  money  for  old  age  when  no  church  wants 
his  services.  It  is  a  vicious  circle  and  leads  too  often 
to  debt  and  loss  of  financial  standing  and  almost 
of  self-respect.  The  whole  business  cheapens  the 
preacher.  Paul  felt  it  all  keenly.  It  rankled  in  his 
breast.  He  would  be  manly  and  self-reliant.  He 
would  be  independent  and  stand  on  his  own  feet.  It 
is  openly  charged  to-day  against  the  ministry  that 
they  are  often  afraid  to  speak  out  against  crying  evils 
(like  the  liquor  business,  the  divorce  evil,  the  wrongs 
done  to  labouring  men),  because  the  preacher's  salary 
is  largely  paid  by  men  guilty  of  some  of  these  social 
sins.  It  is  probably  sometimes  true,  but  the  great 
mass  of  modern  preachers  are  loyal  to  their  ideals 
and  risk  all  for  their  message.  Pay  the  preacher  a 
decent  salary. 

3.    Learning  the  Secret  (verses  11^,  12). 

The  ministry  has  its  limitations.  They  are  the 
limits  of  efficiency  and  service  also.  It  is  no  life 
of  self-indulgent  affluence.  Many  things  must  be 
given  up.  Happy  is  the  man  who  learns  this  lesson 
soon.  Paul  had  learned  the  joy  of  doing  without. 
"  For  I  have  learned,  in  whatsoever  state  I  am, 
therein  to  be  content."  '  Paul  had  to  learn  it  for 
himself^  as  we  all  do.     He  still  knows  ^  his  lesson. 

'  iyu)  yap  £[j.aOov  Iv  o\^  eiiju  aordp/irj^  elvat. 

*  Note  emphasis  of  kyuj  yap. 

•'*  £/iaO()v  is  aorist  indicative,  but  a  timeless  aorist.  It  is  the 
constative  aorist  and  sums  up  all  the  life  of  Paul  as  one  experi- 
ence.    Cf.  Robertson,  "Grammar,"  pp.  831-834. 


THE  SECRET   OF  HAPPINESS  25 1 

I "  The  tuition  has  extended  over  his  whole  experience 
up  to  the  present "  (Vincent).  It  is  now  his  blessed 
possession  and  helps  to  explain  his  sense  of  manly 
independence.  One  can  be  too  complacent  for  any 
use  and  lack  ambition.  One  can  be  content  only 
when  he  has  reached  the  goal  of  his  desires.  Happy 
is  the  man  who  keeps  the  golden  mean,  who  is  not 
slothful,  who  is  not  resentful.  There  is  a  holy  dis- 
content. The  Stoics  made  a  good  deal  out  of  the 
virtue  of  self-sufficiency  or  independence  of  external 
circumstances.'  They  held  that  a  man  should  be 
sufficient  in  and  unto  himself  in  all  things.  When 
asked  who  was  the  wealthiest,  Socrates  said :  "  He 
who  is  content  with  least,  for  self-sufficiency  is 
nature's  wealth"  (Stob.  Flor.  v.  43).  Plato  {Tim. 
33  D)  held  that  a  being  who  was  self-sufficient  was 
far  superior  to  one  that  lacked  anything.^  But, 
though  Paul  uses  the  Stoic  word,  he  has  more  than 
the  Stoic  idea.  He  expressly  disclaims  this  mere 
self-sufficiency  :  "  Not  that  we  are  sufficient  of  our- 
selves, to  account  anything  as  from  ourselves  ;  but 
our  sufficiency  is  from  God  "  (2  Cor.  3 :  5).     "  And 

^  This  is  the  true  meaning  o^  aurdpk-q<s  (^auro?  and  apKiwi). 
So  Marcus  Aurelius  i.  16  to  aurapA-Eg  iv  navri.  Seneca  to 
Gallio  De  l^ita  Beata  6  Beatus  est  prsesentibus,  quseliacunque 
sunt,  contentus. 

^  Cf.  also  Repub.  369  B.  The  papyri  naturally  give  no 
examples  of  this  philosophic  use  of  ahxdpfzri<i.  Sharp  quotes 
Epictetus  ("  Epictetus  and  the  New  Testament,"  p.  124): 
"  Rejoice  in  what  you  have  and  be  content  {afdiza)  with 
those  things  for  which  it  is  the  season." 


252  PAUL'S  JOY  IN  CHRIST 

God  is  able  to  make  all  grace  abound  unto  you ;  that 
ye,  having  always  all  sufficiency  in  everything,  may 
abound  unto  every  good  work  "  (2  Cor.  9 :  8).  Paul's 
sufficiency  is  in  Christ  (Phil.  4:  1 3)  who  makes  a  new 
self  out  of  the  old.  Christ  in  Paul  is  the  secret.  It 
is  godliness  with  contentment  that  is  great  gain 
(i  Tim.  6  :  6)  over  Stoicism  and  the  so-called  Chris- 
tian Science  of  to-day  which  ignores  and  denies  the 
facts  of  life.  Paul  is  fully  aware  of  the  state  in  which 
he  is,  but  he  has  learned  how  to  rise  above  circum- 
stance and  environment  and  to  be  superior  to  these 
external  matters.  It  is  easy  enough  to  be  content 
somewhere  else  and  in  a  different  set  of  circum- 
stances. But,  caught  in  the  net  of  evil  chance,  what 
is  one  to  do,  driven  on  by  the  Stunn  imd  Drang 
of  things  ?  The  problem  with  us  all  is  precisely  how 
to  find  content  in  the  midst  of  things  that  ought  to 
be  changed.  We  should  change  what  ought  to  be 
changed  and  can  be  changed  for  the  better.  What 
cannot  be  cured  has  to  be  endured.  Do  it  with  a  smil- 
ing face.  This  is  the  lesson  learned  by  Paul.  This  is 
the  secret  of  a  happy  life.  Kennedy  quotes  Boswell's 
"  Johnson  "  (Globe  ed.,  p.  351) :  "  Dr.  Johnson  talked 
with  approbation  of  one  who  had  attained  to  the  state 
of  the  philosophical  wise  man,  that  is,  to  have  no  want 
of  anything.  '  Then,  sir,'  said  I, '  the  savage  is  a  wise 
man.'  •  Sir,'  said  he,  '  I  do  not  mean  simply  bemg 
without, — but  not  having  a  want.'  " 

"  I  know  how  to  be  abased,  and  I  know  also  how 


THE  SECRET   OF   HAPPINESS  253 

to  abound."  '  Some  people  can  stand  adversity  who 
are  ruined  by  prosperity.  Poverty  imposes  a  certain 
restraint  that  is  swept  away  by  the  flood-tide  of 
riches.  Some  are  happy  with  plenty  and  grow  bit- 
ter in  spirit  when  want  knocks  at  the  door.  Some 
wealthy  men  give  most  of  their  money  away  in  order 
to  save  their  sons  from  the  peril  of  money.  The 
discipline  of  life  is  worth  more  than  ease  to  make  a 
man  that  is  worth  while.  "  Give  me  neither  poverty 
nor  riches."  Yes,  but  life  does  not  flow  in  such  a 
placid  stream  as  that.  Drouth  follows  flood.  The 
Nile  runs  low  (Diod.  i.  36)  and  the  water  has  to  be 
conserved  by  irrigation  now  as  of  old.  One  must 
learn  how  to  endure  either  famine  or  plenty,  the  lean 
years  and  the  fat.  The  pendulum  swings  back  and 
forth.  Poise  of  character  must  keep  us  steady  when 
either  extreme  comes.  "  Or  did  I  commit  a  sin  in 
abasing  myself  that  ye  might  be  exalted  f"  Paul 
asks  the  Corinthians  with  keen  irony  (2  Cor.  1 1 :  y)} 
"  In  everything  and  in  all  things  have  I  learned  the 
secret."  ^  Paul  uses  the  particular  and  the  general 
in  an  effort  to  cover  completely  the  whole  of  life's 
varied  experiences.     "  In  every  way  have  we  made 

'  6\8a  kai  raTtetvouffdac,  olda  /?ai  izepiGffeueiu.  "  The  one 
fcai  must  be  correlative  to  the  other  "  (Kennedy).  Cf.  Robert- 
son, "  Grammar,"  pp.  1 180  f. 

^  Here  ucpouv  is  the  antithesis  of  raneivouv  as  is  usual,  but  in 
Phil.  4  :  I  2  it  is  Tteptffffeuetv. 

*  kv  TtavT'i  /ia\  iv  ndffcv  /xe/jLUfjfiac.  In  Allem  und  Jedem. 
Vg.  wrongly  translates  ubique  et  in  omnibus  institutus  sum. 


254  PAUL'S  JOY  IN  CHRIST 

this  manifest  unto  you  in  all  things  "  (2  Cor.  11  : 6). 
The  word  for  learning  the  secret '  here  means  "  I 
have  been  initiated  "  or  "  I  possess  the  secret."  It 
was  used  of  initiation  into  the  Eleusinian  mysteries.^ 
Our  very  word  mystery^  is  this  Greek  word.  The 
Mithraists  also  used  it  for  their  secret  rites.  Paul 
takes  the  word  and  employs  it  of  the  mystic  initia- 
tion into  the  hfe  in  Christ  which  makes  him  superior 
to  all  the  accidents  that  come  and  go.  "  The 
secret  of  the  Lord  is  with  them  that  fear  him  "  (Ps. 
25  :  14).  The  wisdom  of  Solomon  (8  :  4)  speaks  of 
our  being  initiated  into  the  knowledge  of  God.^  Ig- 
natius^ speaks  of  those  who  are  "co-mystics  with 
Paul  the  sanctified."  The  initiate  kept  his  secret. 
Paul  gloried  in  the  mystery  of  God  (Christ)  in  whom 
all  the  treasures  of  knowledge  are  hidden  (Col.  2 :  2  f. ; 
cf.  also  I  :  26  f.).  The  baptized  Christian  came  to  be 
called  the  initiated  one.  Paul  had  his  initiation  into 
the  mystery  of  happiness  in  the  ups  and  downs  of 
his  life  for  Christ  in  the  Roman  world.  "  Both  to  be 
filled  and  to  be  hungry,"  ^  says  Paul,  both  to  have 
plenty  like  a  horse  with  plenty  of  fodder  or  grass 
and  to  be  hungry  with  no  grass  at  all.     "  Both  to 

*  fisfiurjfiac  from  fiuiio  to  close  or  shut  (cf.  mutus,  mute)  is 
the  present  perfect  passive. 

^  Cf  Herod,  ii.  5 1  ;  Plato,  Gorg.  497  C.  ;  Aristoph.  Plut. 
846  ;   Plut.  Mor.  p.  795  E.  ^  fiuffTijpiov. 

*  fj.>)aTt<s  yap  iffTCv  T^9  tou  Oeou  iTrtffTrjfiTjg. 

^  Eph.  XII.  llauXou  a-ufifiuffrat  rou  ijyiaaiiivou. 
®  kal  j^npTa^ecdai  Rai  neivdv. 


THE  SECRET   OF   HAPPINESS  255 

abound  and  to  be  in  want," '  he  concludes,  both  to 
overflow  like  a  river  and  be  dry  like  a  desert.  Alas, 
how  familiar  the  second  word  is  to  many  preachers 
who  know  what  it  is  to  be  behind  in  one's  accounts 
with  nothing  in  the  bank  to  draw  on.  To  be  in  want 
and  have  no  way  to  supply  the  necessary  demands 
of  life  is  a  tragedy.  One  can  see  the  pretty  things  in 
the  stores  and  pass  them  by,  the  new  books  in  the 
shops  and  let  them  go.  But  it  is  hard  to  see  one's 
own  family  suffer  for  food  and  raiment  and  fuel. 
Paul  had  learned  how  to  do  without  many  things, 
not  even  to  want  them,  and  yet  to  be  happy.  He 
had  all  in  Christ  and  abounded. 

4.    Paul's  Dynamo  (verse  13). 

In  dodging  this  and  that  misapprehension  Paul 
has  avowed  his  independence  of  material  comforts. 
It  is  not  a  new  attitude  for  Paul;  He  has  long  come 
to  feel  that  the  unseen,  not  the  seen,  is  the  proper 
goal  of  endeavour  (2  Cor.  4:  17  f.).  "  I  can  do  all 
things  in  him  that  strengtheneth  me."  ^  Paul  feels 
able  not  only  to  do  what  he  had  said  in  verse  12,  but 
also  to  meet  all  demands  of  a  similar  nature.  It  is 
sublime  egotism  surely.  But  is  that  all  ?  Is  it  true? 
"  I  have  strength  for  all  things," '  he  means.     This 

*  Kal  TtepcafftUEtv  fiai  offrepelffdat. 

^  TzdvTa  lay^bu)  sv  tw  ivduva/iouvrt  fj.e.  Vg.  has  Omnia  possum 
in  eo,  qui  me  confortat. 

^  Cf.  Jas.  5:16.  TtoXh  Iff^oet.  Cf.  also  Gal.  5  :  6.  The 
accusative  is  due  to  the  verb  and  is  not  adverbial.  Auvafits 
is  manifested  in  iff^Og. 


256  PAUL'S  JOY  IN  CHRIST 

strength  resides  in  '  Christ  who  furnishes  the  power 
for  the  exercise  of  this  spiritual  prowess.  Christ 
"  empowers  "  ^  Paul,  surcharges  him  with  energy. 
Christ  is  Paul's  dynamo  potential  and  actual.  Christ 
"  infuses  strength  "  (Vincent)  into  Paul  and  hence  he 
has  it  in  all  abundance.  Paul  uses  this  great  word 
elsewhere  also  of  Christ's  relation  to  him.  "  I  thank 
him  that  enabled^  me,  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord" 
(i  Tim.  I  :  12).  "  But  the  Lord  stood  by  me,  and 
strengthened  me"*  (2  Tim.  4:  17).  Paul  has  spir- 
itual power  for  Hfe  because  Christ  is  his  life.  "  Be 
strong  in  the  Lord"^  (Eph.  6:  10).  This  power  is 
accessible  to  all  who  will  yield  themselves  to  Christ, 
who  unreservedly  place  themselves  at  the  service  of 
Jesus,  who  make  the  full  surrender  to  God.  So  then 
it  is  not  an  idle  boast  that  Paul  is  making.  It  is  no 
boast  at  all.  He  does  not  mean  that  he  always  has 
his  way.  Far  from  it.  He  has  learned  to  do  without 
his  way  and  to  find  his  j'oy  in  God's  way  so  that  no 
one  can  rob  him  of  this  joy  in  Christ.  Men  can  kill 
him,  but  they  cannot  deprive  him  of  the  love  and  the 
power  of  Christ  in  his  life  (Rom.  8  :  35-39).  Paul 
leads  the  victorious  life  because  he  lets  Christ  reign 
and  rule  in  his  heart.  The  power  of  Christ  in  Paul 
is  not  for  the  gratification  of  Paul's  whims,  but  for 

'  iv  here  is  more  than  the  so-called  instrumental  use. 

*  £v8uvaii6co    is    a    rare    word.      It    occurs  in  Judg.   6  :  34 
(Codex  A)  -Kveuiia  Oeou  iveduvd/iioffev  rov  Vedeibv. 

^  r<j)  iv8uva/i.d>(TavTt  p.£. 

*  iveduvd/jLojffiv  /jl£,  ^  ivduva/iouffOs  iv  /{upi(f>. 


THE  SECRET  OF  HAPPINESS  257 

the  carrying  out  of  Christ's  will.  In  a  real  sense 
therefore  the  Christian  is  a  reproduction  of  Christ. 
A  small  dynamo  can  retain  its  energy  if  continually 
replenished.  Christians  themselves  are  spiritual 
dynamos,  but  they  must  be  in  constant  touch  with 
the  source  of  life  and  energy.  Ignatius  '  said  :  "  I 
undergo  all  things,  since  he  himself  strengthens  me 
who  is  perfect  man."  The  constant  inflow  of  power 
from  Christ  allows  Paul  to  be  a  continuous  supply  of 
energy  for  others. 

5.     Courteous  Thanks  (verses  14-18). 

Once  more  Paul  catches  himself  before  he  creates 
the  impression  that  he  does  not  really  care  for  the 
gift  of  the  Philippians.  He  is  independent  and  self- 
reliant  and  able  to  meet  every  emergency  by  the 
grace  and  power  of  Jesus  Christ.  But  this  does  not 
mean  that  he  does  not  suffer  privation  and  affliction. 
It  is  not  "  thankless  thanks  "  as  Holsten  argues. 
"  Howbeit  ye  did  well  that  ye  had  fellowship  with 
my  affliction."  2  The  gift  was  not  superfluous  for 
Paul  was  still  a  prisoner  and  in  affliction.     He  as- 

^  Smyrn.  IV.  Ttavra  unofiivcu,  auroo  fie  hduva[ioovTo<s  too 
TzXetou  dvOpwnou. 

^  ttXtjv  KaXu)'^  inotyjffaTe  (TUvriOiv(ov7JtyavTi(;  fioo  tj  dXiipet. 
On  tzXt)v  see  I  :  18  ;  3  :  16.  For  this  idiomatic  va&oi  icaX(b<i 
and  the  participle  see  Acts  10  :  33  ;  2  Pet.  1:19;  3  John  6. 
For  £i>  see  Acts  i  5  :  29.  It  is  the  supplementary  participle. 
Robertson,  "  Grammar,"  p.  1121.  Hort.  on  i  Pet.  2:12 
says  that  kaX6(i  "  denotes  that  kind  of  goodness  which  is  at 
once  seen  to  be  good." 


258  PAUL'S  JOY   IN  CHRIST 

serted  his  independence  as  the  rule  of  his  whole  life 
in  Christ,  not  as  a  reflection  on  the  generosity  of  the 
Philippians.  So  Paul's  appreciation  is  hearty  and 
sincere  and  not  ironical.  The  Philippians  had  made 
common  cause '  with  Paul  in  his  long  imprisonment 
and  this  fact  Paul  would  never  forget.  They  "  went 
shares  "  with  Paul  (Lightfoot  on  Gal.  6  :  6).  Vincent 
quotes  Ben  Johnson's  use  of  "  communicate  "  in  the 
old  sense  of  "  share,"  "  thousands  that  communicate 
our  loss." 

Paul  gives  the  Philippians  their  crown  of  glory  as 
the  first  of  the  apostolic  churches  to  rise  to  the  full 
height  of  complete  cooperation  in  the  missionary 
enterprise.  The  church  at  Jerusalem  had  a  powerful 
Pharisaic  element  in  it,  the  Judaizers  ("  they  that 
were  of  the  circumcision  "),  who  arraigned  Peter  for 
preaching  to  and  associating  with  Cornehus  (Acts 
II  :  i-i8)  and  who  challenged  the  missionary  propa- 
ganda of  Paul  and  Barnabas  among  the  Gentiles 
(Acts  15:1-35).  In  Antioch  itself  Barnabas  and 
Saul  won  sympathy,  but  no  financial  support  (Acts 
13  and  14),  a  great  advance  on  Jerusalem.  But  it 
was  the  Philippians  who  first  made  contributions  to 
the  support  of  Paul  in  his  great  work.  "  And  ye 
yourselves  also  know,  ye  Philippians."  ^     Ye  men  of 

*  ffuv/zntvatv^travre?.  Paul  makes  abundant  use  of  com- 
pounds with  fTov  like  the  ^oivij  generally,  in  spite  of  its  rarity 
as  a  preposition.     Cf.  Robertson,  "  Grammar,"  pp.  626fF. 

^  uldare  Se  Uai  Ufie'fi,  (Pihr.niiaioi.      Cf.   I  Thess.  2:1. 


THE   SECRET   OF   HAPPINESS  259 

Philippi  know  this  as  well  as  I,  Paul  explains.  It 
was  no  secret.  "  In  the  beginning  of  the  gospel, 
when  I  departed  from  Macedonia,  no  church  had 
fellowship  with  me  in  the  matter  of  giving  and  re- 
ceiving but  ye  only."  ^  Paul  is  not  apologizing  for  a 
disappointment  in  the  later  cessation  of  their  gifts, 
but  enlarging  the  scope  of  his  appreciation.  The 
rather  he  praises  them  in  that  they  had  opened  an 
account  with  Paul,  a  credit  and  debit  page,  "  in  the 
matter  of  giving  and  receiving."  This  is  a  common 
expression  for  pecuniary  transactions  (Sir.  41  :  19; 
42  :  7  ;  Epictetus  ii.  :  9  ;  Hermas  Mand.  v.  2).  The 
"  beginning  of  the  gospel "  refers  evidently  to  the 
early  stage  of  the  work  in  Macedonia  about  ten 
years  before  this  letter,  not  the  origin  of  the  gospel 
work  in  Palestine.  We  know  precisely  then  that  the 
Philippians  helped  Paul  while  he  was  in  Corinth  (cf. 
2  Cor.  11:8  f.).  But  he  here  shows  that  even  while 
in  Macedonia  the  church  at  Philippi  had  helped  Paul. 
"  For  even  in  Thessalonica  ye  sent  once  and  again 
unto  my  need."  ^  Paul  had  left  Timothy  in  Philippi 
when  he  and  Silas  left  (Acts  16  :  40  ;  17:4),  but  he 
was    in    Beroea  with    Silas   when   Paul  v/ent   on   to 

^  on  iv  dpx^  TOO  eoayysXiau,  ore  ^^rjXffov  0.1:6  MantSovia^, 
oudsfxia  (lot  i/z/zXy^aia  ifiotvcovrjffev  e;'?  Xoyov  5off£wp  /zal 
X7jii(/'£wg  £1  [j.rj  vfie'i^  /zwvot.  The  papyri  give  Xoyo^  in  sense 
of"  account  "  as  ei?  Xoyw  ifj.aTt(Tfj.0D  on  account  of  clothing. 
P.  Oxy.  2752'  A.  D.  66. 

^  art  KaX  h  Oe(taaXoAKri  Koi  aiza^  Rai  3\g  e;'?  rijv  ^peiav 
[lou  inijxfpaTe.      Cf.  I  Thess.  2  :  18  for  ana^  kai  d\^. 


26o  PAUL'S  JOY   IN   CHRIST 

Athens  (Acts  l^ :  14  f).  Probably  Timothy  had 
brought  gifts,  but  even  in  Thessalonica  they  had 
sent  contributions  more  than  once.  They  kept  it  up 
after  Paul  went  to  Corinth  as  we  have  seen  (2  Cor. 
11:8  f.),  though  Thessalonica  and  Bercea  may  now 
have  joined  with  PhiHppi  in  the  gifts  to  Paul  since 
Paul  speaks  of  "  other  churches  "  (2  Cor.  1 1 :  8). 
Timothy  and  Silas  may  have  brought  gifts  from  all 
these  churches  when  they  came  to  Corinth  (cf.  Acts 
18:5).  "  Not  only  on  my  departure,  but  even  before 
I  departed  you  were  mindful  of  my  necessities " 
(Vincent). 

"  Not  that  I  seek  for  the  gift."  "  Again  the 
Apostle's  nervous  anxiety  to  clear  himself  inter- 
poses" (Lightfoot).  He  is  not  hinting  for  more 
gifts.  They  must  excuse  him  for  saying  that  again 
(4  :  1 1).  "  But  I  seek  for  the  fruit  that  increaseth  to 
your  account." '  It  is  not  the  gift  so  much  as  the 
giving  that  has  brought  joy  to  Paul's  heart  (Ken- 
nedy). A  raven  could  bring  a  gift  as  to  Elijah.  But 
the  real  "  interest  "^  on  their  investment  is  the  spir- 
itual fruit  that  comes  to  them.  This  is  the  real  credit 
side  of  the  ledger.  "  It  is  more  blessed  to  give  than 
to  receive  "  as  Jesus  said  (Acts  20 :  35).  The  way  to 
lay  up  treasure  in  heaven  is  to  give  it  away  while  on 

'  dlXk  int^TjTui  Tuv  kapTZuv  ruv  TtXeovd^ovra  e;?  kdyov  UfiSiv. 
Cf.  2  Cor.  9  :  6. 

'^  Chrysostom  explains  all  these  terms  here  by  the  money- 
market.      He  says  :   6  /zapnu^i  i^sivocs  rilcreTai. 


THE  SECRET   OF   HAPPINESS  261 

earth.  "  Ye  have  your  fruit  unto  sanctification,  and 
the  end  eternal  hfe  "  (Rom.  6  :  22).  It  is  Hterally  true 
that  we  only  save  what  we  give.  It  is  also  true  that 
without  giving  we  cannot  grow  in  grace  as  we  ought. 
If  the  Gospel  could  be  preached  to  the  world  free  of 
all  cost,  it  would  be  a  misfortune  to  the  churches  for 
they  would  be  denied  this  spiritual  growth  that  comes 
from  hearty  giving  to  the  Lord's  cause. 

"  But  I  have  all  things,  and  abound." '  "  I  have 
the  receipt  in  full."  Deissmann  ^  finds  "  countless  in- 
stances "  of  the  verb  in  the  ostraca  and  papyri  in  the 
sense  of  receipt  in  full.  Paul  can  give  them  this  re- 
ceipt in  full  for  their  gifts.  He  overflows  with  their 
love.  He  has  more  than  he  could  desire.  "  Who  is 
rich  ?  He  that  is  contented  with  his  lot "  (C.  Taylor, 
"  Sayings  of  Jewish  Fathers,"  p.  64).  "  I  am  filled, 
having  received  from  Epaphroditus  the  things  from 
you," '  Paul  can  stand  no  more  for  the  present,  so 
bountifully  have  the  Philippians  supplied  his  needs. 
In  giving  to  Paul  they  have  given  unto  God,  "  an 
odour  of  a  sweet  smell,  a  sacrifice  acceptable,  well- 
pleasing  unto  God."  ^     Their  gift  is  like  the  fragrance 

^"  Light  from  the  Ancient  East,"  p.  no.  \jk&  aiziy^uiv 
Tzapa  (TOO  TiXe^(n(i^  ini^ivoo  (ostracon),  Hizij^u)  izap  viiwv  toi* 
<pnpov  (Fayum  Pap.  a.  d.  57).  Cf.  Matt.  6:2.  It  is  the 
aoristic  present.      Cf.  Robertson,  "  Grammar,"  pp.  864-870. 

*  TtenX-qpuilxai  de^dfievog  napa  ^Enacppodirou  rd  nap"  Ufiibv. 
Note  tense  of  Tte-KXijpwfiac  (state  of  completion),  full  satisfac- 
tion. 

*  dfffiijv  euojdta?,  Ouaiav  defczijv,  euapeffTov  zip  deep. 


262  PAUL'S  JOY  IN  CHRIST 

of  sweet  incense  (cf.  Eph.  5  :  2).  The  figure  is  very 
common  of  the  sacrifices  in  the  Old  Testament  (Gen. 
8:21;  Ex.  29 :  18).  The  gift  is  a  spiritual  sacrifice. 
They  were  not  actually  buying  grace,  but  they 
pleased  God  with  this  proof  of  their  love  and  loyalty 
(cf.  Rom.  12: 1  f. ;  Heb.  13  :  16  ;  i  Pet.  2  :  5).  Surely 
Paul  has  given  golden  words  for  the  loving  tokens 
from  the  Philippians. 

6.    Riches  in  Glory  (verses  19  f.). 

Paul  adds  God's  blessing  with  all  his  heart  and 
with  full  confidence.  "  God's  treatment  of  them  cor- 
responds to  their  treatment  of  Paul "  (Kennedy). 
"  And  my  God  shall  supply  every  need  of  yours."  * 
You  have  filled  my  cup  to  overflowing  ^  (verse  18). 
God  shall  fill^  yours  to  the  brim  and  over.  Paul 
says  "  my  God "  because  he  had  tested  and  tried 
God  as  his  own  Protector  and  Father.  He  has  not 
forgotten  me,  and  He  will  not  forget  you.  There  is 
implied  also  God's  "  practical  approval "  (Vincent) 
of  the  conduct  of  the  Philippians  towards  Paul.  But, 
just  as  Paul  had  received  his  highest  blessing  in  his 
independence  of  his  environment,  so  the  Philippians 
will  receive  blessings  from  God  "  according  to  his 
riches  in  glory  in  Christ  Jesus."  *  God  has  unlimited 
resources  and  unbounded  love.  The  measure  °  of  His 
beneficence  is  "  the  riches  in  glory  in  Christ  Jesus/' 

^  6  Se  Oeog  fiou  TtXrjpdxret  naffav  ^psiav  v/mwv. 

^  TTETrXtjpto/iat.  ^  nXi^piuffet. 

*  Kara  to  tzXouto^  auToo  iv  So^tj  Iv  Xptar^  Wrjaou,     ^  fiard. 


THE  SECRET  OF  HAPPINESS  263 

"  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ "  '  (Eph.  3 :  8), 
the  "  unspeakable  gift "  ^  (2  Cor.  9  :  15).  God's  bless- 
ing will  be  both  temporal  and  spiritual,  but  the  weight 
of  glory  of  the  spiritual  far  surpasses  the  light  afflic- 
tion of  the  present  (2  Cor.  4 :  17).  The  Philippians 
had  not  done  what  they  did  as  a  matter  of  spiritual 
barter  with  God.  Paul  does  not  take  it  so.  The  dig- 
nity and  delicacy  of  his  words  here  are  above  all  praise. 
He  expresses  his  own  independence  without  harshness 
while  he  exhibits  the  utmost  courtesy  and  gratitude 
towards  his  benefactors  for  this  fresh  expression  of  their 
love.  Blessings  on  those  who  have  done  so  many 
kindnesses  to  ministers  of  Christ.  They  gave  the  cup 
of  cold  water  in  the  name  of  a  disciple  and  it  did  not 
escape  the  eye  of  Christ.  The  preacher  has  to  learn 
to  fix  his  eye  upon  the  spiritual  values  in  life  as  his 
chief  reward  (2  Cor.  4  :  18).  The  riches  in  glory  in 
Christ  are  the  real  wealth  of  the  world  after  all  and 
this  treasure  is  offered  to  all  disciples  of  Jesus  who  do 
the  work  of  Christ  in  the  spirit  of  Christ.  "  Now  unto 
our  God  and  Father  be  the  glory  for  ever  and  ever. 
Amen."  This  is  a  suitable  doxology.  "  The  glory  "^ 
belongs  to  God  as  our  Father.  Let  us  freely  give  it 
to  Him.  The  word  is  used  in  the  Septuagint  for  the 
glory  of  the  Shekinah  or  Presence  of  God.  Peter, 
James,  and  John  saw  Jesus  bathed  in  this  glory  on 
the  mount  of  transfiguration.     Our  glory  in  the  end 

*  TO  dve^t^viaffTov  ttXouto^  tou  ^piffzou, 

^  rfj  dv£/i3i7jyiJT0J  abroo  diope^L,  ^  i]  do^a. 


264  PAUL'S  JOY  IN  CHRIST 

of  the  day  will  be  to  see  Jesus  crowned  King  of  kings 
and  Lord  of  lords.     That  will  be  glory  for  us. 

7.     Paul's  Farewell  (verses  21-23). 

The  time  has  come  for  Paul  to  say  good-bye  to  the 
Philippians.  The  Epistle  is  after  all  very  brief,  but 
rich  in  thought.  He  may  have  written  these  last 
words  with  his  own  hand  (cf.  Gal.  6:11;  2  Thess. 
3 :  17).  The  Epistle  was  probably  read  to  the 
whole  church.  "  Salute  every  saint  in  Christ." ' 
The  humblest  man  or  woman  who  loves  Christ  has 
a  claim  on  Paul's  love.  By  "  saint,"  as  we  have 
already  seen,  Paul  does  not  mean  the  "  professional " 
saint  who  prates  of  his  piety  which  nobody  else  can 
recognize,  nor  does  he  mean  the  best  of  the  Chris- 
tians in  Philippi.  He  includes  all  true  disciples  of 
Christ.  Saint  is  the  inclusive  name  for  followers 
of  Jesus  with  the  obligation  to  holiness  involved  in 
the  name.  "  The  brethren  that  are  with  me  salute 
you."  2  Those  Roman  Christians  who  helped  Paul 
in  his  work^  are  here  described  as  well  as  his  per- 
sonal companions  and  fellow-travellers.  "  All  the 
saints  salute  you."  *  Here  the  whole  Roman  brother- 
hood is  included.  "  Especially  they  that  are  of  Caesar's 
household."  ^     Caesar's  personal  family  is  not  meant, 

*  dffndffaffOe  izavra  ayiov  iv  Xpiaru)  'Irjffou, 

*  a.<Tnd!^<>vnat  u;idi  oi  trhv  i/ioi  adeXifoi. 
'  McGifFert,  "  Apostolic  Age,"  p.  397. 

*  aandZovrat  u/j.d'i  Travre?  ul  uycoi. 

^  fidXcffTa  de  ol  i/z  r^?  Kaiaapo<i  oi/fca^.  Vg.  maxime 
autevit  qui  de  Casaris  domo  sunt. 


THE  SECRET  OF  HAPPINESS  265 

but  the  great  imperial  establishment  which  was  very 
extensive,  including  slaves,  freedmen,  household  serv- 
ants, dependents,  and  retainers  of  various  kinds.' 
Some  of  the  praetorian  guard  may  have  been  in- 
cluded (Phil.  I  :  13).  Many  of  the  emperor's  serv- 
ants came  from  the  east  and  some  of  these  could  very 
well  be  Christians  (cf.  Rom.  16)  even  before  Paul  came 
to  Rome  and  all  the  more  so  now.  Sanday  and 
Headlam  on  Romans  show  that  many  of  the  names 
in  Romans  16  occur  in  the  Corpus  of  Latin  Inscrip- 
tions as  members  of  the  imperial  household.  Evi- 
dently Christ  has  come  near  to  Caesar  in  Rome. 
Christ  is  challenging  Caesar  in  his  own  home.  These 
Christian  slaves  can  do  something  to  leaven  the  lump 
even  there.  We  do  not  know  why  Paul  puts  in 
*'  especially."  Some  of  this  number  may  have  come 
originally  from  Philippi  or  may  have  been  known  to 
some  of  the  Philippians.  "  The  grace  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  be  with  your  spirit."  ^  This  is  Paul's 
last  word  and  one  of  his  favourite  benedictions  (cf. 
Phile.  25  ;  Gal.  6:  18).  Paul's  emphasis  is  on  grace, 
grace  from  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  Son  of  God  and 
Son  of  man,  grace  that  ennobles  and  enriches  the 
human  spirit  as  the  abode  of  God's  Spirit. 

^  Cf.  Lanciani,  "  Ancient  Rome  in  the  Light  of  Recent  Ex- 
cavations," pp.  I  28  fF.  See  also  Lightfoot's  Coram,  on  Phi- 
lippians. 

^ij   Xdpi<s  '^00  Kupiou  ^Irjaoo   Xptffzou  fxerd  tou  nveofiaTO^ 

6flWV. 


Some  Important  Books  on  Philippians 

Alford,  The  Greek  Testament.     Vol.11.     1861. 
Baskerville,  Side-Lights  on  the  Epistle  to  the  Philippians. 

1914. 
Beet,  A  Commentary  on  St.  Paul's  Epistles  to  the  Ephe- 

sians,  Philippians,  and  to  Colossians  and  to  Philemon. 

1891. 
Bell  and  Lunsford,  Epistle  to  the  Philippians  (Sou.  Bapt. 

Conv.  Commentaries.      191 7. 
Bengel,  Gnomon  Novi  Testamenti.    Ed.  of  Steudel.    1855. 
Calvin.     1539. 

Chrysostom,  Migne's  Patrologia.     1863. 
Dibelius,  Lietzmann's  Handbuch  zum  Neuen  Testament. 

1911. 
Drummond,  J.,  International  Handbooks  to  New  Testa- 
ment.    1899. 
Eadie,  A  Commentary  on  the  Greek  Text  of  the  Epistle  of 

Paul  to  the  Philippians.     2d  ed.      1884. 
Ellicott,  A  Critical    and    Exegetical  Commentary  on  St. 

Paul's   Epistles   to   the  Philippians,  Colossians,  and 

Philemon.     5th  ed.     1888. 
Ewald,  P.,  Zahn  Kommentar.      1908. 
Gwynn,  Speaker's  Commentary.      1889. 
Haupt,  Meyer  Kommentar.     8th  ed.     1902. 
Johnstone,  The  Philippian  Gospel  or  Pauline  Ideals.    1904. 
Jowett,  J.  H.,  The  High  Calling.      1909. 
Kennedy,  H.  A.  A.,  Expositor's  Greek  Testament.     1903. 
Klopper,  Der  Brief  an  die  Philipper.     1893. 
Lighlfoot,  St.  Paul's  Epistle  to  the  Philippians.     9th  ed. 

1891. 

266 


IMPORTANT  BOOKS  ON  PHILIPPIANS     267 

Lipsius,  Holtzmann's  Hand-Commentar.     2d  ed.     1893. 

Lumby,  Schaff's  Popular  Commentary.     1882. 

Martin,  New  Century  Bible. 

Moule,  Cambridge  Greek  Testament.     1897. 

Moule,  Cambridge  Bible  for  Schools. 

Moule,  Philippian  Studies.      1897. 

Rainy,  Expositor's  Bible.     1899. 

Rilliet,  Comraentaire  sur  I'Epitre  de  I'Apotre  Paul  aux 

Philippiens.     1841. 
Smith,  R.  R.,  The  Epistle  of  St.  Paul's  First  Trial.     1899. 
Soden,  H.  von,  Der  Brief  des  Apostels  Paulus  an  die  Phi- 

lipper.     2d  ed.     1906. 
Theodore  of  Mopsuestia.     Ed.  of  Swete.     1880. 
Vaughan,  C.  J.     1882. 

Vincent,  International  Critical  Commentary.     1897. 
Weiss,  B.,   Der   Philipper-brief  ausgesetzt    und  die  Ge- 

schichte  seiner  Auslegung  Kritisch  dargestellt.      1859. 

Wohlenberg,  Strack-Zoeckler's  Kurzgefasst.    Comm.   1895. 
Yorke,  The  Law  of  the  Spirit. 


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